Lady In Red
by Jade-Rose
Summary: A story that starts right back at the beginnings of Team Rocket and ends with the death of Miyamoto. The life of Madame Boss, the mother of current boss Giovanni. Told from her viewpoint. [Complete: Revised 18.3.05]
1. Part One

_Disclaimer Stuff: I don't own Pokemon, blah blah blah… You all know the rest._

_Author's Note: For those of you not familiar with Team Rocket's history, Madam Boss was the head of Team Rocket before Giovanni, and was also his mother. Miyamoto was Jessie's mother and Team Rocket's top agent. You can usually find more info on Team Rocket fan sites, including mine, "Rocket in Another Orbit"._

_You may also wish to read the parallel stories to this, "Born to Rule the World" and "Rocket Child". It doesn't matter which one you read first._

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* * *

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**Part One**

My father is one of the men who set up this rag-tag group of scientists. Mavericks most of them; oddball geneticists, biologists and researchers. Together they are conducting some of the most extensive research into Pokemon ever done. I guess you could say that they helped invent the term "Pokeologist". Most of this research is secretive, ordered by the government to investigate and understand the powers of these strange creatures at the genetic level, ultimately to harness them in order to benefit humanity. After all, things such as fossil fuels aren't going to last forever and doctors cannot cure everything. My father and his colleagues are sure that there are many more Pokemon in unexplored regions of the world, far more than the hundred or so already known. They are hoping to get more money from the government to set up field expeditions to find more Pokemon throughout the world. This research is very much ongoing – new things are being found all the time, and if there are many undiscovered Pokemon in the world, it could well go beyond my own lifetime. Hence why my father managed to make a deal with the government that this group of scientists pass on our research in return for money.

That was over a year ago, and so far Project Rocket, as it is known, is flourishing. New people are being recruited, but only after a thorough vetting. I didn't need any such procedure to get in, for I've always shown an interest in my father's work, and he was only too happy to offer me a place as a researcher. I was happy to accept it. As a little girl I would sit on my father's knee fascinated as he showed me pictures of Pokemon and explained their powers to me. I was pleased for him when he managed to get a decent job that allowed him to carry on with something he loved; he deserved it. There is only my father, my sister and myself. I never knew my mother, for she left my father soon after I was born. My father always said it was just as well, for she was an alcoholic amongst other things, and he was surprised that she hung around him long enough to have two daughters. I don't think much about my mother, my work and the future is more important to me than what might have been. My elder sister is the odd one out. She has never cared much for Pokemon. Never cared much for anything really, though now she has her baby I think that has changed. God knows who the father is; I don't think she knows either. She lives in Pewter City now, so we don't see her much.

Anyway, Araminta is the least of my concerns. My report on variations in bug Pokemon is taking up most of my time. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Christa trying to flirt with Eric. I narrowed my eyes and wrote a few more words. Poor Eric, can't Christa see he's not the slightest bit interested in her? So much make-up I'm surprised her face doesn't fall off. I have no idea how she was allowed in. Eric mumbled some excuse and left the room. For some reason Christa felt victorious for she came over to me. I looked up at her and frowned.

"Isabella, I think Eric likes me," she giggled, perching on the edge of my desk.

"And what makes you think that?" I asked, venomously. Christa was so wrapped up in herself she either didn't notice or ignored my tone.

"I just know. You can always tell with shy men like him. Anyway, I have plenty to get on with and so do you by the looks of it."

"Yes, I do," I answered and started writing again as she made her way back to her side of the room. Stupid woman has Eric figured out all wrong. He isn't shy, just quiet. He gets on with his work, which is more than some people do round here. Eric's a very intelligent man, but without being like some stuffy intellectual. He's far too good for the likes of Christa. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on my report instead. Christa left for some reason, and a few minutes later Eric returned.

"Is it safe?" he asked, jokingly.

"For the moment," I replied. "But you know how she is. Next week it'll be Drew or Neil. Again."

"I hope so. She's driving me up the wall." He flicked absent-mindedly at a forelock of his black hair and put his reading glasses on, looking through his work.

"She's always driven me up the wall," I growled. Eric smiled at this, though he didn't say anything. He seemed preoccupied, actually. I returned to my report, but couldn't concentrate. All the efforts by Christa to snare Eric were beginning to drive me insane. I knew that they were as pointless as most of the propositions I had received from men whilst working here, but still, I had to make absolutely sure that my own – and far more subtle - hard work wasn't about to be ruined. I got up and went over to Eric. He looked up at me with a smile, his blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses. Beautiful eyes.

"Eric, how would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" I asked. I expected him to either leap a mile since Christa had been bothering him all day or say something that would set back everything I had worked towards, but instead he broke into a grin.

"Well, you've beaten me to it," he said. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"Good. I'll meet you at seven by the fountain in the town square?" Inside I jumped for joy, but outwardly I remained composed.

"That'll be fine," he replied. I smiled my best smile at him, and went to sit back down. I ignored Christa when she came back in. Maybe I could get my father to move her. There were five of us sharing this office altogether, though the other two were out somewhere. Christa started talking to Eric again.

"So, got anything nice planned this weekend?" she asked.

"This and that. I'm quite busy actually," he replied, not really looking at her.

"Oh, that's a shame," she said. "Not even room for me?"

"Nope," he said shortly.

"Ah well, maybe next weekend," Christa said, finally going back to her own desk. Eric turned his head towards me slightly and winked. I smiled, and then glanced over towards Christa. She was going to be in for a surprise on Monday.

I took Eric to one of those little places that are neither upmarket nor downmarket. The food was better than my own cooking, anyway. It was a pleasant evening, and I found it nice to have him all to myself. Eric had taken me back to the house my father and I shared, and had walked me up to the gate. I could tell he was dying to kiss me but was afraid to do so, so I had given him a gentle touch on the cheek before we said our goodnights. The memory of that night made me smile whenever I thought of it. My father had teased me.

"Izzy, what's happened to your frown?" he had asked me on Sunday. I didn't go around frowning all the time, but I was not renowned for being Miss Sunshine either. All the more amazing that Eric was attracted to me. My father has always told me I am beautiful, but of course that is not the same as other people telling you that, especially those you want to be close to. The Monday after had been quite funny, from my perspective. I had come in to find a lovely posy of flowers in a vase on my desk. I knew who had put them there of course, but Christa didn't. She spent the morning trying to guess who, making mountains out of it, only to be quite deflated when she realised it was Eric. This meant that by the end of the day, half of Project Rocket had heard that I was in a relationship with Eric. I was annoyed about it, for we had only had dinner together, and hadn't yet planned anything else. I was all for having a word with Christa, but Eric stopped me.

"Let them have their gossip. They'll find something else to talk about soon," he said, then asked if I wanted to come to a demonstration of the powers of psychic Pokemon with him that was happening in a couple of days time. Psychic Pokemon intrigued Eric the most and he had been looking forward to it for weeks. I agreed, partly because of the Pokemon, mostly because of Eric. It turned out to be a lot more interesting than I had thought it would be, and we collected some useful information from it. Afterwards we went for a walk through the nearby Viridian City Botanical Gardens. Autumn was setting in, and this was one of the last warm evenings. Still, I put my arm through Eric's and kept him close. We stopped on a bridge that spanned part of a lake.

"I didn't think psychic Pokemon could be so powerful," I said, leaning on the wall.

"Very much so," Eric replied. "Except against ghost Pokemon."

"Surely with training they can overcome that?"

"Possibly. I guess that'll be another project." He smiled at me. "Isabel, do…"

"Isabella. Don't call me Isabel, I hate it," I interrupted. He looked at me puzzled.

"There's not a lot of difference."

"I know, it's just one of those things," I told him. Eric shook his head, amused.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Definitely not," I said. My previous boyfriend had nicknamed me 'Belladonna' after the beautiful but poisonous plant.

"How about Izzy?" I hesitated. I never allowed anyone but my father to call me Izzy. But for some reason…

"Izzy is fine," I found myself saying.

"Izzy it is, then," Eric smiled. I returned the smile, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically nervous. A shiver tingled down my spine as Eric's hand brushed my cheek. All the world ceased to exist as he leaned forward and kissed me. It was a proper kiss this time and I let myself be drawn into it. It was short, but still made me feel shaky. I couldn't do anything but smile almost shyly at him before we kissed again, this time bolder about our feelings. I had liked Eric for ages, but now I was certain it wasn't just some crush. I was in love with him. I thought that I had been in love before, but it was nothing compared to what I felt now. There was something different about it, something that I couldn't explain for it felt so powerful. Seldom had anything in my twenty-one and a half years made me feel so…so…happy.

Later I arrived home to find my father still up. His pet Growlithe was curled up asleep at his feet.

"Enjoy the lecture?" he asked.

"Yes, I think you'd have enjoyed it too," I replied, shrugging out of my coat. He just nodded, disinterested. It wasn't like him to be so. I pushed aside my news, and took a chair opposite.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

"The government wants to close us down," he said, almost wearily.

"What? They can't do that!" I exclaimed. The Growlithe stirred at my raised voice.

"Yes they can."

"They need us," I said, angrily. My father shook his head.

"We need them more than they need us, Sweet. Without them there is no money."

"We can raise our own money."

"And how do you propose we do that?" my father asked me. I sat in contemplation.

"Research is information. Information is a valuable commodity. Even if the government closes us down, there must be people within it who still wish to receive information about Pokemon, even if it comes at a price. And there are other parties too of course."

"Izzy, I can't take Project Rocket underground," my father protested.

"Isn't that practically what it is anyway?" I argued. "Secret testing, findings that sometimes don't go public for months, if ever?"

"How do we find these people anyway?"

"They will come to us," I said. He looked doubtful. I leaned forward and placed one of my hands on his. "Father, I know we can manage on our own. We always have, haven't we?" The corners of his mouth tugged upwards slightly.

"You've always been a headstrong girl," he said. I didn't respond. He leaned back in his chair. "I don't know Izzy," he sighed. "I need to think about this and talk it over with some of the others."

"Please think about it," I said. "What else are we going to do anyway?" My father could not answer me. He seemed older than he was. I could sense that he felt hurt and betrayed. This job was something he put everything into and to loose it now would be a devastating blow, not financially, for we had become reasonably well off, but to his spirit. I was angry at these people who saw fit to take away a part of my father's life. He had done so much for my sister and myself. Now I was going to do what I could to make sure he got what he deserved.

* * *

The forest made a change from the city, I suppose. I watched as the builders put the finishing touches on our new headquarters. It had been several months since the government tried to close us down. After much arguing amongst my father and his colleagues that saw some of them go their separate ways, we set up on our own. From the original Project Rocket, my father had with him two of his co-founders. I was there of course. So were several other trusted people, but thankfully for me, Christa was not amongst them. She and others that were not needed were told that we were finishing, then hustled out of the picture as quickly as possible. Eric was also there at my insistence. Not because my father didn't want him there, for he liked Eric, but because Eric disapproved at the idea of turning criminal. It had been the first thing we'd argued badly about. I had told him that he could stay with Project Rocket, and stay with me, or he could forget it. I was pleased he had come round to my way of thinking, even if it did take him several days. I didn't understand what took him so long.

It was agreed that my father should be in charge as he had done the most to set up the group in the first place. Our name was changed from Project Rocket to Team Rocket. As I had thought, some people in high places had approached my father soon after we had 'officially disbanded'. One of them had given us this land deep in Viridian forest to build a base on. At first, father dealt with them, but soon there was a demand from outside too, and he asked me more and more to help. I think part of this was to do with the fact that he found some of these shadowy figures intimidating, while I was much tougher. My father was happier dealing with Pokemon. Eric didn't like me going off to do deals with strangers, but he knew that I was capable of looking after myself. And if I needed help, I always had my Pokemon. I had a Flareon that I had evolved from an Eevee I got as a present as a child, a female Nidoran that was more of a pet, and a Venomoth. Though as a child I never had any wish to go on a Pokemon Journey, they still had quite a bit of battle experience.

For the past couple of months, I had been practically living with Eric, so when we had finally moved into the headquarters about a week ago it didn't seem strange to be under the same roof and sharing the same bed. We had plenty of privacy, for my father occupied a separate flat attached to the house. I smiled to myself, remembering the first time we had lain in each others arms, all cosy despite the snowy winter weather outside. I shook my long, slightly wavy ebony hair into place. Business was the priority at the moment. Eric and I were planning to go away to the coast this weekend, so I had plenty to get done. I walked into the main building, past the lobby and into the interior where my father and I had offices along with a couple of other people we had deigned worthy enough to have them. The research part of Team Rocket was well under way again. At the moment, I was busy drawing up new plans for work away from the base. We now had sufficient money to begin hiring people for fieldwork so that the scientists were not taken away from the labs. I did not think it would be a good idea for the majority of these to know exactly what went on at the heart of our business. I sat at my desk and frowned. Who would be the best people? They would have to be skilled at catching Pokemon and have a reasonable knowledge of what they were looking for. I decided that building up a good team of field agents would have to be a gradual task. First we should target wannabe Pokeologists and Pokemon Watchers. Then maybe some actual trainers would be good. The notes on my desk grew larger and larger. Then I realised that we would probably need a training gym for the agents to practise their skills in. A small gym had been built underground for experimental purposes, but that would be no good for what I had in mind. Another mark on the financial plan, but it was not a worry. Someone would pay for it. My phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Miss Lucas, there's a Mr Dawson here to see you."

"I'll be right down," I replied, and put the phone down. I had hoped he would show up. He was going to help pay for my – our - field agents even if he didn't know it yet.

* * *

It had been years since I had been anywhere near the sea, and I had spent the past day wondering how I could not have missed it. The smell of sea air was even more refreshing than the smell of pine. It was nice to get away from Team Rocket and spend a couple of days doing things normal people do, but work was always at the back of my mind, which made it impossible to completely relax. That evening, Eric had dragged me out for a walk.

"Why can't you forget work, just for a day?" he asked.

"There's so much to do at the moment," I replied.

"Those plans haven't even been finished. And anyway, this could be about the last chance you have to enjoy yourself for ages," he said, then squeezed my hand. "Look, you've got me talking about it now."

"I'm sorry," I said. We walked along in silence, not needing to say anything. I liked the way the beach was almost empty as the day drew to a close. There were only the odd one or two couples, out for a stroll like us. The sun turned from golden to an orange-red, making the sea and skies an orchestra of colour. I liked the colour red, and had made sure it was Team Rocket's main colour. Red stood for so many things for me. It was the colour of rage, but also of strength and passion. I snapped out of my daydream when I realised Eric was pulling me to the ground. I ended up sat between his legs, and he put his arms round me.

"May as well take a rest and enjoy the sunset," he said.

"Strange how they never look like this in the city or the forest," I said. "In the city they go almost unnoticed, and in the forest they seem more golden."

"I suppose it's a lot clearer here," he replied. "And the sea adds to the effect."

"It's nice," I said, leaning my head back against his shoulder.

"It is," he agreed, and kissed the top of my head. There was another silence, only broken by the sound of the waves breaking on shore. Eric hugged me tighter.

"You know what would be even nicer than this?" he asked.

"What would be nicer?" I replied, not really paying attention.

"If you would marry me," he said. I giggled. He was joking. I'd be the first person to admit that I was hard enough to live with, never mind be married to. A wife, me? Not something I'd ever thought to be likely. Then I saw that in front of me he held a small box with a ring displayed in it. I managed to turn round to face him, my eyes wide.

"Well?" he asked, a hopeful little smile on his face and expectation in his eyes.

"Yes," I almost whispered. Annoyed at myself, I took a breath and spoke more normally.

"Yes, I'll marry you." The smile broke into a wide grin, and we hugged and kissed each other.

"Try it on," he said, giving me the ring. I slipped it on, and found it was a perfect fit. It consisted of a large ruby and several tiny diamonds.

"It's beautiful," I said, admiring it and leaned forward to kiss him again.

* * *

A few weeks later and my father came to me with some news I wasn't keen to hear.

"Izzy, I've just been talking to your sister. She's going to come and stay for a few days."

"Is that a good idea?" I asked him.

"Minty knew all about Project Rocket and she didn't mention it to anyone," my father argued. "Besides, it'll be nice to see her and Stefan again, won't it?"

"Yeah, great," I said unenthusiastically. My father gave me a look.

"Well, you can wrap yourself up in your office for the whole time then."

"It's not that I don't want to see her, I just don't think she should be coming here," I said.

"You've spent too much time dabbling in the politics of secrecy," my father said, then left me alone to my work. I sighed, and looked at the papers on my desk. The first field agents had been hired about a month ago, and weren't doing too badly. At the moment I simply asked my father what pokemon they needed in the research labs and passed the information on to the agents. Most of them worked alone, though I think that for longer, more distant missions it might be better for them to be in teams. I still hadn't got my training gym yet, which annoyed me. I would have to clear it with father first, which these days was easier said then done. We didn't see much of each other, for I was busy planning things, and he was in the labs. I thought about going behind his back, but decided against it. I absent-mindedly played with my engagement ring. Eric had been gone for nearly a week on business, and I was quite lonely without him. I realised then how much distance I had put between myself and most of the other people who worked for Team Rocket. I brushed these feelings aside.

"Trust no one, do not rely on anyone, for they all let you down in the end," one correspondent had warned me one meeting. There were exceptions to every rule, but I got used to treating everyone with suspicion. Even Eric and my father at times, though not very often. It seems harsh, but after all my own mother abandoned me. My sister was the one I trusted least of all. As we had grown up, we fought like the majority of siblings do, but we now had an amicable relationship. I wouldn't say we were close; we were too different for that, even though there were only two years between us. I think that what bothers me the most is Minty opening her mouth without realising it. I sighed again. It had been a good year since we had seen each other, and she had probably changed, as had I.

* * *

The following weekend came too fast. Minty was arriving this Friday evening and leaving sometime on Sunday. Soon enough there was a knock at the door. I sat in the living room with Eric as father went to open the door. Even from here we could hear her.

"Dad! It's so lovely to see you!"

"You too. How's my Araminta?"

"I'm fine. Really good."

"And is this Stefan? He was tiny last time I saw him."

"It certainly is! It's a shame you don't get to see us more often, he's growing so fast. He started walking a few weeks ago." They came into the room, and I stood up to greet her. She gave her son to my father, and came and hugged me tightly.

"Isabella! You look great!" she beamed.

"Not too bad yourself," I said, noticing she'd let her hair go back to its natural chocolate colour instead of being bottle blonde. She looked a lot better for it. Minty turned to look at Eric.

"And who's this?" she smiled at him.

"This is my fiancé, Eric. Eric, this is my sister Minty," I said, introducing them.

"So this is Eric," Minty said, looking him up and down. I fumed internally.

"Pleased to finally meet you," she said.

"Likewise," Eric smiled. We all sat down, Minty seating Stefan in her lap. He stared at everything with wide eyes, looking like he had landed on another planet.

"How old is he now?" I asked, feeling a little guilty that I didn't even know the exact age of my nephew.

"He'll be two in September," Minty told me, stroking the top of his head. He turned and smiled at her.

"A long journey and he can still smile," our father said.

"He's not a bad traveller. Here," she stood up and placed Stefan on Father's lap, then went and sat back down. Stefan looked a little disconcerted, but a bunch of keys soon sorted him out.

"So what are you doing at the moment?" I asked.

"Oh, this and that. I haven't got a job at the moment, but we get by with the money dad sends," Minty smiled. "I didn't think Pokemon could get you so much money." I glanced at my father. I had no idea he gave money to Minty. That explained how she could afford reasonably expensive items while not having a job. I got the feeling she wasn't going to get one in the near future, either.

"It's not too late for you to get some," I said. Minty laughed.

"Now you know I'm not a Pokemon person. But if Stefan wants to be a trainer or something, then I don't mind. That's his life."

We had dinner soon after. Eric and Minty seemed to get on well and chatted away to each other. By the end of the evening, I was burning with jealousy and began thinking completely unreasonable thoughts. Rage often made me irrational.

"So, what do you think of Minty?" I asked Eric as we were getting ready for bed.

"She's nice enough, certainly not all the person you made her out to be," he replied.

"She's changed a bit since having Stefan," I admitted. "Anyway, you two seemed to get on well."

"Yeah, I was glad of that," Eric said, getting into bed. I remained seated on the edge so my back was to him.

"Why's that?" I asked, fighting to conceal my feelings, something I was not used to.

"Well because I've never met her before, plus she's your elder sister." He snuggled down under the covers. I played with my engagement ring, a habit I had when I was distracted.

"You wouldn't say we were sisters, would you?" I asked.

"From your looks, yes, but not your personalities," he replied. He ran a finger down my back. "Aren't you getting into bed?"

"So you think she's attractive?" I said acidly, still not looking at him. There was a rustle, and I turned round to see Eric sitting up, staring at me.

"Now I see what you're getting at," he said.

"You do, don't you?" I hissed, unable to control the green-eyed monster anymore.

"No I don't," he replied. "Don't be stupid."

"Stupid?" I almost yelled. "She likes you! Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"So what if she does? It doesn't mean I'm going to like her," Eric told me. Though he was far more even-tempered than I was and usually didn't snap I could see he wasn't far off.

"Yeah well it didn't seem like it," I snarled. Eric scowled.

"What would you like me to say to her? 'Sorry Minty, but Isabella doesn't want me to talk to you in case we try and run off together'? Well, thank you for having the audacity to trust me not to do that, Izzy," he said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. He glared at me, his blue eyes steely.

"Do you think I wonder every time you go off for a meeting with some bloke that you'll run off with him? Of course I don't." He seemed to be about to say something else, but changed his mind. He lay back down, and turned his back to me. My rage subsided as quickly as it had risen, and I lay down too, pulling the covers round my head. I turned on my side, and placed a hand on Eric's shoulder.

"Eric?" There was no response, and I knew I had really hurt his feelings.

"Eric, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I know you wouldn't do that." I paused. Still no response.

"I love you," I said, then let go of his shoulder, turned onto my other side and closed my eyes, cursing my temper.

By the morning it had all been forgotten. Minty and Stefan left on Sunday, promising to see us soon. My father managed to see Stefan for his second birthday. Not long after was Eric's twenty-fifth. By now, a couple of months later, we had recruited a good pool of field agents, and some more scientists. There were several major projects going on, and the money was pouring in. I had also set up a scheme of buying and selling Pokemon in the form of pet shops, which looked to be a success already. I began to turn my interests to investing some money in other things. Things that could serve as a front for Team Rocket. We needed to expand out, for there were too many people based at the Headquarters now. I mentioned this to my father.

"What about building another lab somewhere?" I asked him.

"Why?" he said, warily.

"Well it'd be better for studying certain types of Pokemon, wouldn't it? It would save us money if we didn't have to transport Pokemon from all over the country." My father laughed.

"Look at the money we have, Izzy. A little on transporting Pokemon isn't going to dent the bank account."

"I'm only trying to make things more efficient," I said. Father put his arm round my shoulder and hugged me affectionately.

"I know you do a lot of things for me, Sweet, like some of the deals and organising the agents, but don't forget I'm still in charge overall."

"I know that," I said.

"You work too hard for someone so young. You're not even twenty-three yet," he said. "You should be out enjoying yourself more."

"I like my work," I protested. "And I still get plenty of time to myself." Father smiled at me.

"So much free time that you haven't even begun to plan your wedding yet? When exactly do you plan to marry your young man?"

"Well I… That's up to Eric and me. We're in no rush," I said, trying to remember the last time we'd discussed our wedding.

"All work and no play makes Izzy a dull girl," father said. "I think I'll restrict you to working only three days a week." While most people would have been ecstatic about that, I was decidedly underwhelmed.

"I can't do that!" I exclaimed. "I have a lot to do."

"I'll get someone in to take care of some of your lesser tasks," he replied.

"It's my job! I don't want someone else doing it for me," I argued.

"They won't be. Think of it as having a secretary."

"Four days," I said. "I won't work Fridays."

"Okay then, four days. But if I catch you working on the Friday, I'll make it three days."

"Done," I said. Part of me couldn't help wondering if he thought I was either not doing my job properly, or maybe I was doing it too well. I practically ran the non-lab part of Team Rocket now. Maybe he felt he needed to assert some power, just to keep me in check.

"One day you'll be in charge, Izzy," Father was saying to me. "But I don't want it to consume you yet."

"I understand," I said, a little dejected. He ruffled my hair and then left me alone. So, how could I get round not doing any work on a Friday? It wasn't like I could spend the extra time with Eric, which I think is what my father had in mind. I don't know why, we see plenty of each other despite the fact Eric usually spends time during the week travelling round to various lectures and demonstrations gathering information. He's shattered by Friday, and usually spends the evening sprawled on the sofa. I can't get him to talk about the weekend never mind wedding plans. Yet I got the feeling my father was anxious for us to get on with it. I put it down to being old-fashioned. He had disapproved at first when I began spending the night at Eric's before we moved to the Headquarters, but in the end he has almost always let me go my own way. Though I wanted to marry Eric, at the same time I was quite happy being Isabella Lucas.


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

But here I was just over a year later getting ready for my big day. Minty and one of her friends, a hairdresser, were putting the finishing touches on my hair. Stefan sat in a corner, noisily bashing away at some toys.

"It's looking great," Minty enthused.

"Yes, it does," I had to admit. I hated the fuss people had been making of me all day. Yes, okay, it was a special day, but I don't like people fussing over me at any time. "There, that should be it," my sister's friend said, stepping back. I turned my head from side to side, and adjusted the headpiece slightly. It had been handmade for me, and was made of silver. Several miniature red roses were carefully entwined in it.

"Go and get your dress on then," Minty said. I rose, feeling conscious of the cascade of hair that fell in long, gentle semi-corkscrews down my back. My dress was a simple one, more like a gown. It was ivory in colour – I hated white - and swooped low over my shoulders. I hope I don't have to bend down at all, else I think everything will pop out. It came down almost all the way to my feet, and kind of trailed out at the back. I wasn't into frills or huge skirts that puffed out for miles. Minty helped me to pull up the zip at the back so my hair wasn't disturbed. She swung me round to look at her, and gasped.

"Oh Iz! Go and show Helen."

"Don't push me," I muttered as she hustled me into the other room.

"Helen, doesn't she look wonderful?" Minty gushed. Helen smiled at me.

"Lovely. Isabella, take a look for yourself." I was directed towards a full-length mirror. Now, I'm not a vain person, but I couldn't help but stare at my reflection for a very long time. For the first time in my life, I myself could say I looked beautiful.

"Well?" they both asked in unison.

"It's great," I said, in an understatement. "Thank you." Minty sighed.

"Smile a bit more Isabella. It's your wedding, not your funeral."

"We're not there yet," I answered. Minty glanced at the clock.

"Not far away though," she said and then hugged me. "My little sister's actually getting married!" she squealed. I rolled my eyes. There was a knock at the door.

"Are you finished yet? Time's getting on you know." It was my father.

"Go back downstairs dad, we'll be down in a minute," Minty told him.

"We're anxious to see the bride," he replied, with a chuckle. I sighed.

"Is that everything?" I asked. Minty nodded, as did Helen. "Time to face the world then," I said, with a smile. "Where's my bouquet?"

The ceremony was lovely. There were not a huge number of guests there, for both Eric and I wanted it to be an occasion for close family and friends. I had told Eric that if he turned up with a hangover I wouldn't speak to him again, but he seemed to be none the worse for wear. The only bit I didn't really enjoy was having to sit through the speeches. I was glad to finally get something to eat. It had been a long, lovely day for me, but it was near its end, and part of me couldn't help feeling glad. I think Minty was chatting up every eligible man there, including Eric's brother. I watched her as I leaned against Eric. We were lazily moving across what had been set out as a dance floor in the kind of tired stupor alcohol brings on. Other people that were staying to the end were dancing a little more enthusiastically, but I was happy to observe from the comfort of Eric's arms.

"Minty's trying it on with your brother," I said, my words half slurred from drink and tiredness.

"She won't have much luck," he replied, with a smile. Matthew had not long been through a rather acrimonious divorce. I sighed.

"Why couldn't I have had a sensible sister like yours?"

"Why couldn't I have had an extrovert sister like yours?" he answered with a smile. I watched my Flareon happily chasing someone's Jolteon between the chairs.

"Flame! Behave!" I called to it half-heartedly as it came blazing past us. Flame paused and looked at me.

"Flare, Flare!" it yapped, then bolted off again. I frowned. Flame was usually better behaved. Maybe it had been at the drinks like the rest of us. My shoes were killing me, and I pulled Eric over to sit down.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied, beaming. "You?"

"Definitely," he smiled at me, and pulled me onto his lap and into a kiss. Someone nearby clicked a camera. I couldn't wait until Eric and I were left alone in peace again. It was like being a celebrity. Everywhere we went today someone seemed to be poking a camera at us. We weren't going to go on our honeymoon until tomorrow.

"You've not told me all evening if you like my dress," I said, a little stroppily.

"I did," he protested.

"Tell me again," I said, putting my arms round his neck. He laughed.

"You're drunk," he said. I knew it too, but it meant that I didn't care.

"Tell me," I pouted in a mock fashion.

"It's a lovely dress. You look absolutely fantastic in it," he said. "But you'd look absolutely fantastic out of it too. Do that pouty thing again."

"Shh!" I hissed, clamping my hand over his mouth. We both broke into a fit of giggles. My father came over to us.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah I suppose we are," I replied, sliding off Eric's lap. Time to do the round of goodbyes and thank you's. I took a breath trying to clear my head and then decided it wasn't worth it. No one else would notice.

* * *

The honeymoon was over and reality beckoned. I had been away for about ten days and came back to what I considered mayhem. I set about sorting everything out. I was going to have to haul in one of the field agents. He hadn't managed to complete a single mission yet. I don't know why, his tests had shown him to be perfectly capable of it. He was due here any time now. Father still hadn't budged on the idea of more labs, but I had managed to get a smaller centre set up further north which meant that the agents didn't have to trek all the way back here to report in. They could also spend more time looking for Pokemon. Especially those that were worth something, or were rare. I had heard about some lab being built on Cinnabar Island, and wondered if it would be worth sending someone in as a plant. The information and research they did would help supplement our own. I felt frustrated that I couldn't authorise projects myself. I would just have to bide my time until the reins were passed over to me. Not being in control of the company did not mean I couldn't plot its future. My phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked. There was silence. I was about to put it down when someone spoke.

"I know who you are and what you are doing," the voice on the other end rasped.

"Oh really?" I responded, keeping my voice level.

"I'm watching you, and the organisation you run."

"Well if you were you'd know I'm not in charge of any organisation," I said coolly, and put the phone down. It was probably someone playing a stupid prank, but I made a note to have the phone numbers changed anyway. My secretary came into my office.

"Ma'am, Trey is here to see you as ordered."

"Send him in." I leaned back in my chair as Trey entered.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Why have you failed to complete any mission set to you?" I got straight to the point.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Don't know?" I said, icily.

"Maybe field work isn't really my thing after all," he said, tucking a strand of green hair back into place.

"It doesn't seem so, does it?"

"Isn't there another job for me ma'am?" I looked at him sternly. He wasn't a weak man in either physique or brainpower, and wanted to work. My recent phone call played in the back of my mind.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am. I was in the army for five years," he replied.

"Perfect. I want you to be part of a new division I am going to set up. It will take care of matters that threaten the integrity of Team Rocket. We cannot afford to be exposed or infiltrated," I told him

"Are you asking me to be an assassin or a spy?" Trey asked.

"Both," I said.

"I accept," he replied. "When do I start?"

"I will let you know. In the meantime, do any research you feel is necessary. You may go."

"Thank you ma'am," he replied, and left looking a lot less dejected. I smiled a somewhat devious smile to myself. Now to somehow convince father we needed a security section.

* * *

"Izzy, go and see a doctor today." Eric's stern voice came to me from the bedroom. I was in our bathroom busy vomiting down the toilet. This was the third day in a row I had been ill. All I could keep down was water and dry toast. I knelt by the toilet, shivering even though I was hot. I closed my eyes, and waited for the moment to pass. When it did, I managed to walk back into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. I couldn't ever remember feeling so lousy. My Nidoran seemed to sense my discomfort and tried to nuzzle me comfortingly. I pushed her away. 

"Don't touch me," I growled, though somewhat weakly. The Nidoran settled instead for curling up on Eric's pillow, her eyes not leaving me.

"You're white," Eric told me.

"All right, I'll make an appointment," I snapped.

"Good. I'll see you tonight," he replied, kissing me on the cheek before leaving. There was no way I could work, try as I might. I lay for a few minutes to be sure I would not be sick on the carpet, and then reached for the phone.

I got my secretary to drive me into Viridian City to see the doctor. We had to stop twice on the way. Finally I staggered into the doctor's surgery, feeling rather undignified.

"So what seems to be the problem?" she asked. I described my symptoms.

"Could you be pregnant?" she asked me. I just stared at her. The thought had honestly not crossed my mind. The doctor reached into a drawer.

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" she said with a cheerfulness that jarred me.

The test came out positive.

I sat in the back of the car looking out of the window without seeing anything. The doctor had given me something that she said should ease the sickness I had been experiencing. How could I be pregnant? I did not consider myself a maternal person. I didn't have dolls as a child, and small children made me recoil. Even with my nephew, I could hardly bring myself to pick him up. It wasn't that I hated children – after all, I was a child once – I just couldn't relate to them. I wasn't interested in them. When people asked me if Eric and I wanted children they were usually met with a contemptful snort. Eric and I had never really discussed the idea either. If I sensed that was where the subject was heading, I changed it. This had so many implications now, both in my private life and my work life. How was I going to manage my side of Team Rocket with a baby? And did Eric want a child? All I could see on my future horizon was a big black cloud.

Eric was home earlier than I had expected. I was curled up on the sofa, half-asleep. He came and sat beside me.

"You're looking better," he said. "What did the doctor say?"

"She gave me some pills to try and get rid of the sickness," I replied, then hesitated, for once unsure what to say.

"What's the matter?" Eric asked.

"I'm pregnant," I said. Eric's eyes widened considerably, but then he broke into his usual grin and hugged me.

"That's great," he said, but then sensed I didn't share his joy. "Isn't it?"

"I suppose so," I began. "It's just the surprise of it, I guess." Eric knew me better then that.

"No it's not. What's the problem?"

"Nothing," I snapped, then realised I wasn't going to be able to brush him aside. I composed myself.

"Eric, I don't think I want a child."

"Well it's a little late now, isn't it?"

"I could always…"

"Get a termination?" Eric interrupted. "And where do my feelings come into this?"

"It's my body."

"It's my baby too." He looked at me in a way that forced me to lower my eyes. "Why would a baby be such an awful thing for you?"

"How am I supposed to do my job with a baby? How am I supposed to run Team Rocket? I can't take it with me if I need to travel somewhere. I don't even like them. All they do is poo and cry and throw up." It was a weak argument, and it wasn't helped by the fact I was beginning to whine like a little girl.

"Is Team Rocket more important to you then me?" Eric asked.

"No," I answered, truthfully, though I couldn't be sure if in the future I would be able to say that.

"Then why would a child – our child – be any different?"

"I don't know," I admitted. We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Maybe you just need to get used to the idea," Eric said, placing a hand over my abdomen, an area I had refrained from touching ever since I found out I was pregnant.

"Perhaps," I said.

* * *

Two months later and I was still having some difficulty getting my head round the idea. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that visibly there was nothing yet to show that I was pregnant. I was often still sick in the morning, and sometimes during the whole day, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. My father was delighted at the news, though I had told him straight off not to make a fuss of me. I was to work as normal for as long as possible. Father had tried directly to get me to change my mind and then tried to get Eric to persuade me, who had refused.

"The moment it gets too much for you, stop," Father told me.

"I'm not stupid, Dad," I had replied.

Surprisingly, he had given the go ahead for a security section to be established. I was pleased to see Trey had taken to his new job like a duck to water. I placed him in charge of training other agents in the skills needed to do undercover work of the more serious nature. Recruiting for the new section was easier than for the field agents. Many of them, unlike Trey, were goons who hit out first then asked questions. This was fine in certain situations, but not all, as they had to be taught. For his sake, I kept the darkest nature of what these thugs may have to do secret from my father. I didn't really like having to do that, but I felt it was for the best. This afternoon I was paying a visit to the labs to catch up on what was going on there. Father was not there today, so one of my father's technicians, a man named Charles, escorted me down a dim corridor to a lab.

"What's down here?" I asked.

"This part of the laboratories is for researching electric Pokemon," Charles told me. "The current main project involves splicing the genes of an electric Pokemon with molecules of a Magnemite."

"Splicing genes?" I asked.

"A technology way ahead of its time. Basically, in this case, we take the gene that makes an electric Pokemon electric, take it apart, and insert it into the Magnemite cells."

"What is the point of this experiment?" I asked, as we entered the lab.

"We're hoping to create a Pokemon with substantial electromagnetic powers. Such a Pokemon could be very useful," said Charles. "You're lucky, today we will be testing the Pokemon to see if we have been successful." He went over to a tank. Several other technicians milled around pressing buttons and adjusting wires. Out of the tank an Electabuzz was lifted, tubes running out of several parts of its body. Its eyes were shut. It was set down on a table, and the scientists put clamps on its arms and legs. A screen was erected around it. Charles made me stand well back.

"This could be very dangerous."

"I'm not afraid," I retorted.

"That's not the point, miss." He turned to an assistant. "Wake it," he ordered. The assistant jabbed a couple of switches and buttons. The Electabuzz stirred, and tried to sit up.

"All machinery is operating," another technician said. I watched with fascination as equipment whirred into life. Something came down and hit the Electabuzz. It retaliated by using its powers. Yet already it was obvious that it was different from a normal Electabuzz for it glowed first yellow then white. I had to shield my eyes. The beeping of some of the machines grew frantic.

"Sir, I'm reading high levels of electromagnetism."

"Excellent," said Charles. The technician suddenly frowned.

"The readings are going off the scale!" he exclaimed.

"The Pokemon is destabilising," another said.

"Shut it down," said Charles.

"I can't," was the reply. Charles began to hustle me out of the room.

"Everybody out!" he shouted. That was the last thing I remembered.

* * *

I opened my eyes to a white ceiling. At first I thought I was still in the lab but then I realised I was lying in a bed. I blinked and blinked again, trying to clear my head. Was I supposed to feel this groggy after being knocked unconscious?

"She's awake," a voice said. It was my father. I turned to him.

"Dad?" I whispered.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"A bit weird," I said, and tried to sit up. My father pushed me down.

"Stay there for a bit."

"How long have I been out for?"

"A good couple of hours."

"What happened?"

"The experiment went wrong. The Pokemon self-destructed, taking half the lab with it," he said in a hushed voice.

"The others? Charles?"

"There were casualties," my father told me. "But Charles is okay."

"He saved me," I said. I lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair out of the way, and discovered a dressing on the side of my forehead.

"Yes," said my father, shortly. He looked to his right and up, and I saw Eric standing there with a doctor. Father stood up.

"Well, I'll go and get myself a cup of tea," he said. I closed my eyes and opened them again. I must have hit my head pretty hard on something. Eric took my father's seat. He ran a hand through my hair.

"Hi," he said. I managed a smile.

"I want to sit up," I said, and looked at the doctor.

"Okay," he said. "But don't rush." Eric helped me sit up, pulling the pillows into place. I felt less helpless now. Eric took my hand. I suddenly remembered something.

"The baby," I said. "What about the baby?" The doctor and Eric looked at each other, and I felt Eric's hand tighten round mine.

"The trauma of the accident to your system was quite severe," the doctor said. "I'm afraid you've lost the baby. I'm sorry."

"Oh," was all I could manage. I turned to look at Eric. He had his head bowed.

"I'll leave you alone," the doctor said, and left.

"Eric?" I said. He raised his eyes to meet mine.

"They told us not long after we arrived," he said.

"It doesn't make any sense. I've only banged my head."

"Charles said that you were flung across a cabinet," he replied.

"I don't remember," I said.

"It doesn't matter now," Eric said quietly. "At least you're okay."

"I guess so," I replied. I didn't feel it though. You'd think I'd be happy that I'd got rid of something that had been bothering me. But I didn't feel happy, yet I didn't feel sad either. I didn't feel anything, which frightened me. I always had an opinion, always got a sensation from things, so to be faced with this void was a complete unknown.

"I want to go home," I said.

"I think you should let the doctor decide that Izzy," said Eric as I climbed out of bed, wobbling. He stood up just in time to stop me toppling forwards and sat me back down onto the bed. My father came back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Getting ready to go home," I said, brushing Eric away.

"The doctor said he'd like you to stay in for observation," my father said as I stood up again, this time a little more firmly. Father looked at Eric.

"I tried to tell her," Eric said offhandedly, gesturing towards me.

"I'll fetch the doctor," my father said.

"Fetch all the doctors you want," I said. "Where are my clothes?" My father left the room.

"Where are my clothes, Eric?" I demanded. Eric closed his eyes briefly, letting out a sigh.

"In the bag under the chair," he replied, folding his arms. I stared at him.

"Fine, I'll get them myself," I muttered. I gritted my teeth as I knelt down, holding onto the chair for support. I put the bag on the bed, and took out my singed clothes. The smell on them was disgusting, but I ignored it. Father came back with the doctor.

"I wouldn't advise you to go home yet," the doctor said. I looked at him defiantly.

"Can you stop me?"

"Well, no, but it is my responsibility to make sure you are in a fit state."

"I have no problems with my vision, no headaches, and as you can see, I am capable of standing up," I said.

"Listen to the doctor, Sweet," my father tried to reason.

"If I have problems I will return, but otherwise I see no reason to be here," I said.

"If that's your decision," said the doctor.

"It is," I replied. The doctor nodded resignedly, and left. Father followed him back out, and I could hear him arguing with the doctor, pointless as that was. I couldn't stand to be in this place a minute longer.

By the time we arrived back home, I felt very tired. Eric was still a little brusque, but offered to make some lunch whilst I went and had a shower, which made me feel a little better. I stopped feeling as if I smelt entirely of burnt Electabuzz, at any rate. Eric had made sandwiches, and I curled up on the sofa to eat them. We sat in silence. For some reason, it made me uncomfortable.

"I'll probably go into the office in the morning," I said. Eric's head shot up.

"No you won't," he said, sharply.

"Why not?" I asked.

"The doctor said that you should have the rest of the week off," he replied.

"If I feel well enough…"

"Would it hurt your pride so much just to take some simple advice for once in your life? Or did all your common sense get knocked out when you banged your head?" Eric snapped. His outburst was so sudden and forceful that I nearly dropped my plate in surprise.

"For God's sake, Izzy! You've just been in a serious accident," he continued. "You should still be in hospital! But you have to have your way, don't you? So long as _you're_ okay, nobody else matters. You could be dead right now, like the two technicians. Like our baby…but since you didn't want that, I guess you're quite happy now!" As so often when he grew angry at me, I was unable to look him in the eye. I sat looking at the floor, too stunned to even think of a retort. After a few moments, the silence was punctuated by a noise that was unmistakeably a sob. I looked over to Eric. He had buried his face in his hands. Horrified to see him so upset, I got up and went over to him. I was unsure of what his reaction to me would be, so I tentatively reached out and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't look up, but he didn't resent my presence either, so I nestled my way onto his lap and put my arms around him. He continued to cry almost silently into my shoulder, hugging me back almost too tightly, as if he were afraid I was about to disappear.

"Don't cry," I said, still stroking his hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't think…"

"Yes, sometimes you don't think," he replied, still with his face buried in my shoulder. I didn't say anything. Gradually, he stopped shaking from the sobs.

"Eric…I'm not happy about what's happened. I know what I said, but that doesn't make me happy. I'm not that callous," I said and leant back, making him look up. "You don't think I am, do you?"

"No," he replied, his eyes seeming to be even bluer from his tears. "But you do a very good job of making it appear otherwise."

"I don't mean too," I replied. He just looked back at me. I realised that I hadn't gotten rid of the strange sensation that I had had at the hospital. I wasn't pregnant any more. October this year would pass by as it would any other year. No baby.

Why didn't I feel anything?

Wasn't I supposed to cry, or at least be depressed? I hadn't wanted to have a baby in the first place, so despite what I had just told Eric, surely I should be happy if I couldn't be sad? Maybe I was in some degree of shock and it would all catch up with me later. Maybe Eric was right, and I should rest. I wiped away the remains of the tears and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'll stay at home for the rest of the week," I said, stroking his cheek. He let out a resigned sigh, which I knew meant that he was not entirely happy, but was not going to argue. I kissed him again and lay my head back on his shoulder, suddenly remembering that I was supposed to have my first scan on Friday. It had only been yesterday morning that Eric had been laughing at me whilst I struggled to find some clothes that would fit around my waist comfortably. I let out a sigh myself. I knew how much Eric had been looking forward to becoming a father. Perhaps by feeling for him, I'd be able to feel something myself, though something told me that it wouldn't be the case.

We didn't really discuss the miscarriage after that. Maybe some people would have done, dwelling for weeks or even months after the event, but to me it was in the past now and was done with. It was business as usual. The lab was rebuilt along with other repairs needed after the explosion and the technicians replaced, though they were under careful surveillance for a few weeks at first. Despite the accident, I still went down to the labs to see what was going on, though my real interest at the moment was still making money and maintaining the field agents. I was in the middle of making a deal on behalf of father that would allow us more access to government files. In general, I thought I had built up a good team of agents. I had begun to pair some of them up, just as a trial to see how it worked. Variation was they key to keeping them motivated. If an agent had been out to get water Pokemon, I would next send them out to get rock Pokemon.

Mine and Eric's first wedding anniversary came and went as fast as the year that we had spent as a married couple. We are somehow perfectly matched although it might not seem like it at times. I push him to do things he might hold back from, while he stops me from doing some really stupid things. I work hard, he's more laid back. He cooks, I do the washing up. A cleaner takes care of most of our household jobs, thank goodness. I don't have the time to do them myself for a start, and I'm not really a domesticated woman. Being a housewife was never on the agenda even when I was a young girl. Frankly I couldn't imagine anything more boring, though I know that for some people they either have no choice or they find it a perfectly satisfying thing to do. I should count myself lucky, really. I have the freedom to do as I please, I have a job that brings in good money, and I have a husband who loves me despite all my faults. Yet somehow I wasn't completely satisfied and I don't think I ever will be. I'm too ambitious, too greedy and too selfish in many ways. If someone gave me a piece of cake, I'd want another even if that meant someone had to go without. The world is changing all the time, and it's survival of the fittest. I certainly wasn't going to fall by the wayside if I could help it, and neither was Team Rocket.

* * *

"No." 

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Your attitude hasn't changed at all? I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want."

"You've never even thought about it since?"

"No."

"Now you are definitely lying."

"I am not."

"Look me in the eye and say it then."

"Eric, I do not want to have a baby. I'm sorry. Satisfied?" I picked up my knife and fork again and took another mouthful of food.

"No," replied Eric. I shook my head in frustration.

"Why are you so bothered about it?"

"I just think it would be nice."

"Nice?" That word still wasn't in my vocabulary where babies were concerned.

"Yeah. Is that such a difficult concept for you?"

"I'm twenty-five next month. I still have plenty of years left in me. What's the rush?"

"Years fly by, Isabel." He called me Isabel to wind me up. Unfortunately for me, it always worked. I set down my knife and fork and glared at him.

"You can't give me a straightforward, reasonable answer can you?" he continued, a gleam in his eyes.

"Have you forgotten how ill being pregnant made me?" I said angrily.

"No, of course not, but maybe it will be different this time."

"This time? There isn't going to be a 'this time'." I was defiant. "Can't you change the subject?"

"At least think about it," Eric said. I snapped.

"Alright, I'll think about it if that makes you happy!" I exploded. The moment those words came out of my mouth I knew exactly what Eric had done. He just smiled at me sweetly.

"That's a start," he said. Despite my denying it, I had thought about a baby. If I hadn't been caught up in the accident at the labs then I wouldn't have miscarried and we would have been parents by now. No matter how hard I fought it, I couldn't help wondering what motherhood would have been like every time I saw someone with a pram. Maybe I had been affected by the event more than I would admit to even myself. Even so, my dislike of babies was still stronger than any silly moments that tried to tell me otherwise.

"I'm not ready to, or interested in starting a family. You know that," I said, managing to calm down.

"I do, but you weren't planning on getting pregnant before," he reminded me.

"That's not going to happen again unless I decide otherwise," I replied, confidently.

Well I lost that argument. It was only another five or six months later when I began to spend the day vomiting down the toilet, but at least this time I had an idea of what was the matter. The rest of my pregnancy hasn't been great either, just how I knew it would be. I was so ill at one point I had to spend some time in hospital, which didn't do much to nurture the radiant maternal feelings I am apparently supposed to have now. I stand at the window looking out into darkness. The baby is due any time now, and the size of my stomach, plus the fact that this summer is exceptionally warm has meant I haven't been able to sleep much the past couple of weeks, and tonight is no exception. I glance back at the clock. Almost quarter past one. I am alone in the bedroom, for Eric has taken to one of the spare rooms so that I am more comfortable and he can sleep without me disturbing him. The baby kicks, and I glance down idly. I can visibly see it when the baby moves now, the tissues of my abdomen have been stretched so thin. I wish it was over. I'm tired of being pregnant, tired of the weight and the aches and pains and generally feeling unwell. I miss the freedom of movement I had before. I run a hand through my hair, taking a last deep breath of night air and make my way back to bed to try and snatch a few more hours sleep.

Not much luck there. About two hours later I began to go into labour. Yet here I am a further six hours on, and only just finally giving birth. I had wanted it to be at home, but I had been persuaded that, just as a precaution, I should go to a hospital because of all the problems I had had in the pregnancy itself. I'm glad Eric is here with me. He's been faultless all the way through the past nine months. I am ready to admit I'm scared, though I don't really know why. Maybe it's hearing all the stories of other women's experiences, yet not really knowing what to expect yourself. What I do know is that whatever they've given me to try and ease some of the pain isn't working. I'm in agony. I've screamed, I've cursed everyone from the midwife to Eric. Several times I've almost passed out from the pain. This is definitely the only child I am having. I want to die, anything to end the torment.

"One last big push, Isabella. That's all."

I did as I was asked, then sank back onto the pillows, turning my head away from everyone. I could hear the baby crying as someone placed it on my stomach. I didn't look at it though. I didn't want to. I kept my eyes closed, realising how much I had sweated, and how thirsty I was. All I wanted was a drink.

"You've got a lovely little boy," I heard the midwife say. I felt the baby being lifted off my stomach, and opened my eyes.

"Are you alright, Izzy?" Eric asked me, a little anxiously. I turned to him and simply nodded reassurance. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of my face and patted my hand. I realised the midwife was back with the baby, this time wrapped in a blanket. I was made to sit up and the next thing I knew the baby had been plonked into my arms. I peered curiously at hat I had been handed. He was kind of reddish, with a smattering of dark hair on his head and eyes that wandered everywhere, as if he was wondering what on earth had happened to him. I couldn't tell you at that moment which one of us he looked like. Fascinated, I touched one of his hands. Such a tiny, bedraggled looking thing - it was hard to believe that he had been the cause of that big bulge I had carried around until a few minutes ago. I was relieved that it was all over. I could feel tiredness catch up with me. I realised that Eric had an arm around my shoulders, so I handed the baby to him so he could get a better look.

"Here, you hold him," I said. Eric carefully took hold of the squirming bundle. I rubbed my eyes, and watched as he smiled at the baby. He turned to me.

"Perfect," he grinned, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Then we won't need another one," I replied wryly. He just chuckled.

"So, what's he going to be called then?" he asked. We had decided on Georgia for a girl, but couldn't agree on a boy's name. Nothing had seemed right.

"I honestly don't know," I said.

"Well, how about naming him after your father?" Eric suggested. I screwed up my face.

"No Eric. I want that as a middle name. Besides, he doesn't look like an Edwin, does he?"

"Yeah, you're right." He passed the baby, which already seemed to have fallen asleep, back to me.

"And he is not being named after a footballer either," I said. Eric just smiled at me innocently.

"Why not?"

"Because I say so."

"If only you weren't so fussy," Eric said, with an affectionate squeeze of my shoulder. He thought for a moment.

"What's the first name of Maranello, the man who first classified Pokemon and wrote the first detailed book about them?"

"Giovanni?"

"Yeah, that's it. What about calling him that?"

"Well, he was a great man and without his work we wouldn't know half as much about Pokemon as we do today," I said doubtfully. I looked at the baby again, frowning slightly. Somehow the name suited him.

"Giovanni it is then," I said. "Giovanni Edwin Sakaki."


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

One good thing I can say about children is that they grow fast. Giovanni's two today. Yet I have another reason for celebration. Yesterday my father told me he wanted to concentrate solely on his research, which meant giving up his position as head of Team Rocket. This meant that from next week I would take his place. Finally I had got what I had wanted for so long – complete control of Team Rocket. I could finally go ahead with the plans I hadn't been able to persuade my father to go through with, and negotiate on my terms only. I watch Giovanni playing with a present my father gave him. Some toy that has buttons that when pressed make a plastic Pokemon pop out of a box and say its name. It's driving me up the wall already – it hadn't taken Giovanni very long to work out how to use it. He's a bright child. He learnt to walk fairly early, and he can say several words and a few simple phrases. Eric adores him and I wish I could too.

Don't get me wrong, I do care about Giovanni - I wouldn't hesitate to deal severely with anyone who tried to harm him - but I can't say I love him in the way a mother should. I cuddle him and tuck him up in bed like any parent, but something is missing. Try as I might, I can't seem to fill in the missing piece. It makes me sad, which in turn usually vents itself as anger. I sometimes find myself yelling at the child as if he were one of my agents that had displeased me. I can't bring myself to tell Eric how I feel about our son. He'd probably dismiss it as my imagination. I sigh, and stretch out a bit more on the sun lounger. I still haven't told him about becoming head of Team Rocket. Last night he had been in a rare foul mood, and had stomped off to bed early complaining of a headache. He was out at the moment buying some items for a small family tea we were having for Giovanni's birthday. Minty was coming over. Funny how when you have children suddenly birthdays and Christmases become excuses to see each other especially if those occasions fell on weekends. It was Saturday today, perfect for lazing in the sun. Giovanni stopped his play to stare at a wild Butterfree that fluttered through the garden. He pointed at it.

"Mummy, look!"

"It's a Butterfree," I told him.

"Buffee," he said with a smile.

"But-ter-free," I repeated.

"Buffee," he said again, and giggled. I couldn't help but smile at him.

I think my father was the one who was most happy to see everyone together. Kyle, the man Minty had moved to Celadon City to be with looked half bored most of the time. I didn't like him one bit, he looked like a money-grabber, but if Minty was happy, then fine. She spent most of her time playing with Giovanni, so much so I began to wonder if she was going to take him back with her. Stefan occupied himself with some stuff of his own and Giovanni's toys, even though he was now nearly eight years old. It was getting late, and Giovanni was getting tired of being handled like a toy. Perfect excuse to escape for a little while.

"Say goodnight," I said, taking him from Minty's arms. He just scowled and wriggled about.

"Goodnight, Gio," Minty smiled at her whinging nephew.

"I'll take him," Eric offered. I shook my head.

"It's alright," I said, and walked upstairs before anyone could say anything else. I set Giovanni down on his bed. He immediately tried to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. I uncurled him, much to his protests and began to get him ready for bed. He didn't shut up until I was finally able to tuck him in, along with his favourite soft toy, a Meowth that had somehow been christened Fred. He fell asleep almost immediately, one arm bent to allow him to suck on his thumb. I hoped he wasn't going to wake up at four in the morning, expecting everyone else to be up too, a habit he seemed to have at the moment. I yawned as I left his bedroom. Being out in the sun for most of the day had made me sleepy. It wasn't much longer though before I too was able to crawl into bed.

"You didn't tell me you were taking over Team Rocket," Eric said accusingly.

"Well, yesterday evening you were like a bear with a sore head, and today you took so long in Viridian City I haven't had the chance to," I replied. "How did you find out, anyway?"

"Your father asked me what I thought about you taking over, and I had to ask what he was talking about."

"Oh. Well I'd probably be telling you now anyway." I told him, closing my eyes.

"I don't think he's made the right decision," Eric said. I opened my eyes again.

"And why's that?"

"Running part of a business is different from running a whole business. I don't think you're ready."

"You're wrong. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"I know. But what about Giovanni?"

"What about him? It's not like I work in another country, is it?"

"Yes, but you'll be spending more time away from here."

"You've always known that I'd be running Team Rocket one day. If Father had died four years ago, I'd have taken it over then."

"Still, I didn't think it'd be this soon."

"It is, so accept it. I've got it all planned out. And no, I'm not going to forget you and Giovanni in the process." With that I closed my eyes again, and rolled over, indicating that I did not wish to discuss the matter further.

* * *

"But mum, everyone else is allowed." 

"I bet they're not if you talk to their mothers." We'd been through this a million times now, and it was getting tiring.

"I want to be a Pokemon trainer."

"You will be, you'll just be doing it a different way to other people."

"I don't want to go to that school. I hate school."

"Tough. I've paid a lot of money so you can go there."

"I'm not going."

"Yes you are, so stop whinging about it."

"You can't make me."

"Oh yes I can, even if I have to drag you there myself."

"Dad would let me go on a journey."

"Your father agrees with me," I replied, which was a bit of a lie. We'd argued about it till we were both blue in the face. I wanted to send Giovanni to the Pokemon Technical Institute, though neither he nor Eric agreed about it. If we had been an ordinary family, I'd have been prepared to let Giovanni go and get lost looking for Pokemon. However, I was the head of Team Rocket, which had doubled in size since I took over nine years ago. As well as plotting the present, I had to look to the future. Giovanni was my investment. I wanted him to take over one day from me, even if he wasn't keen on the idea at the moment. He was only just eleven years old, after all. Becoming a grown up was a century away from his perspective. By sending him to the Pokemon Tech, he would be educated about Pokemon without the danger of something happening to him. It had been known for kids to vanish on their journeys, victims of wild Pokemon looking for dinner, or harmed by the hands of another human being. In remote areas there was no nice Officer Jenny to run to, no Pokemon Centre to use as a safe haven. And being in a city didn't guarantee your safety either. I had used this argument against Eric, though with much more difficulty than usual. I looked at Giovanni sitting on a stool with a sulky face. Only another two years before he became a teenager. He was strong willed like me, but at the moment I had the power to keep him in check. I knew it was going to be harder as he got older, but he was well aware that I was not to be pushed. Like now.

"I don't want to go away," he said.

"You'll be back for the holidays. Anyway, you didn't want to be a trainer until a couple of months ago."

"But mum…" he began. My patience snapped, and I slammed my hand down on the work surface, almost knocking my cup of coffee over.

"Listen you brat," I shouted. "I make the decisions round here, and if I say you are going to that school you are going to go to that school regardless of what everyone else is doing. I am sick of hearing you whine like a baby about it. Do I make myself clear?"

"You never let me do anything," Giovanni yelled back, jumping off the stool. "I hate you!" He ran out of the kitchen, presumably to either his room or outside somewhere. I didn't follow him this time. Last week he'd made me so angry over something I had chased him round the house to give him a smack. I let my anger subside. By dinnertime it would have been forgotten.

A month later, Giovanni had been shipped off to the Pokemon Tech. At first he had phoned home almost every night, but the calls were beginning to come less frequently. He was a year older than the majority of pupils when they started, but he had found some people his own age. It was actually quite strange not having him around the house, trying to tell me about something he'd found in the woods or what he had done at school that day. But I had plenty to occupy my mind. These days I had the field agents mostly in teams of two. I had found that a male and female combination worked best in most cases. Two men competed against each other, and two women often fell out. My very best agents I would sometimes let work alone. They were known as the 'elite team' within the lower ranks of the agents. I, meanwhile, had become known as 'Madam Boss'. I don't know who invented the name, but I suppose they have to call me something. A lot of them never see my face after they've been recruited, never mind know my name. I don't see a lot of them either, though I know exactly what they are doing. I have people employed to report back to me on the goings on of the lower members of Team Rocket. I looked at a memo on my desk. Two of the security section had been killed. They weren't the first, and they weren't going to be the last. The two dead men weren't vital personnel, but it was still a loss. We would recover from it however. The phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, there's a girl here at the gates wanting to sign up. Shall I bring her in or tell her to go away?"

"How old?"

"Uh…just a moment." The guard turned away from the phone to ask. "She says she's sixteen, ma'am."

"May as well bring her in then. Make sure she gets the briefing first." I put the phone down. Eric and my father both said I was awful for allowing people as young as sixteen in these days. But I argued back that I had never gone out to get teenagers; they came to us. I always had them go through a tough interview first, the briefing, at which point the majority backed out of joining. Even grown people in their twenties and thirties had balked. I did not want a bunch of wimps in Team Rocket, and the briefing was the perfect way of getting rid of them. Then if they still wanted to join, they would be brought up to see myself or one of my assistants if I was not available. I returned to my work. I would be going away to the Orange Islands for three days on business, and was making sure that things here at headquarters were not going to fall apart. I didn't leave Eric in charge, for he looked after the scientists along with my father. Instead I usually left Trey or Oliver, who compiled all the reports on the field agents, to keep an eye on things. They were about the only two people other than my family who I could trust. Half an hour passed, and my phone rang again.

"Ma'am, the girl passed the briefing."

"She still wishes to be in?"

"Yes."

"Well bring her to me then." I put the phone down, and prepared myself for the interview. I tidied up the papers on my desk, and made sure my personal appearance was impeccable. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, sounding as authoritative as I could. The door opened, and the girl was ushered in.

"Reece, get the young lady a chair," I said. Reece took a chair from the corner of my office and set it in front of my desk. He then left us alone.

"Sit down," I said. The girl did as I asked. I surveyed her. It was obvious that she had been brought up well, for she did not slump or lean forward in her seat. She sat bolt upright, her legs together, and her hands clasped round the rucksack that lay in her lap.

"So you wish to join Team Rocket?"

"Yes ma'am. I do."

"Why? You're a young girl with your whole life ahead of you. Why get involved with us?"

"To be honest, I have nowhere else to go. I don't have anything to do with my family anymore. I've got kind of bored being just a Pokemon trainer. I need something different."

"You are aware that you commit yourself for life to Team Rocket. If you suddenly get 'kind of bored' as you put it, you cannot just wander off to find something else to do."

"I have been told that, and I have no problem with it."

"You are also aware of the penalties for betraying us?"

"Yes, but I know how to keep a secret," the girl replied evenly. She didn't seem to be in awe of me or intimidated like others had been. She was mature for her age, which pleased me.

"So you're a Pokemon trainer?" I said.

"Yes ma'am. I have twelve gym badges." She opened her rucksack and fumbled around in it, bringing out a small box. She opened it and placed it on my desk. Inside were twelve badges neatly pinned in rows. I allowed myself to raise an eyebrow.

"Not bad. Where have you finished in the league?"

"I've never battled in the league," she admitted, putting the box back in her rucksack. "Of course, that was my aim when I first started on my Pokemon Journey. My family were always telling me I could win the league easily, and I began to get fed up with hearing it. I stopped going home, and for the past couple of years I've been travelling around getting by with odd jobs and street battles. That's how I managed to get twelve badges."

"Experienced then?" I commented. This girl was different from anyone else I had taken in.

"I'd say so," she replied.

"Very well," I said. "I will accept you into Team Rocket." I reached into a drawer of my desk and pulled out a form. I placed it in front of her along with a pen.

"Read it very carefully. Once you have signed it, you cannot back out." The girl just nodded her head. I watched as she worked through the form. She was a pretty little thing with large blue-green eyes and purple hair tied back in a ponytail with a green ribbon. She would be a beautiful woman. It almost seemed a shame to see her signing her life away, but she clearly understood the situation. She finished the form, and handed it back to me. I checked it through, the neat handwriting easy to read. Everything about her was neat and tidy.

"Welcome to Team Rocket, Miyamoto," I said.

"Thank you," she answered.

"For the next week or so you will stay here for training. There are three other people training currently. You should be able to find a partner from one of them, and be assigned your first mission. Hopefully the next time I speak to you will be when your mission has been successfully completed."

"I understand," Miyamoto replied. I pressed a button on my phone. A minute later my secretary came in.

"Alison, take the young lady here to get a uniform, then take her down to Oliver. Tell him to show her the grounds and find her a room. She will be joining the other trainees tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am," said Alison. Miyamoto rose up gracefully.

"Goodbye," she said to me, politely.

"Goodbye," I replied, watching them go.

* * *

A week later I enquired as to how the latest batch of trainees was doing. I stood in Oliver's office as he shuffled some files around.

"They're not bad. I put them in with some others yesterday in the training gym. One of them stands out though."

"Really?"

"Yes, that girl who came last week. Miyamoto, isn't it?"

"I believe that is her name."

"Might be worth keeping an eye on. She's one of the best recruits I've seen for a while."

"I thought so too, actually. But the real test shall come when she is out on a mission. Has she chosen a partner yet?"

"They've not quite matched up yet, but I think she'll pair off with Cal, the lad from Prism Town. They're similar in age, and get on quite well. He's not too bad either."

"Keep me informed," I told him.

* * *

It was only another eighteen months before I had Miyamoto and Cal moved up to the elite team. The only reason it took so long was the amount of testing to see if they really were trustworthy. The elite agents had access to things normal agents never even realised were there. Even though faced with tougher missions that were not always with her partner, Miyamoto continued to have one of the highest success rates any field agent in Team Rocket ever had. Yet she never boasted about it, never made a big deal of the pay bonuses she received. She just got on with her job. Miyamoto was popular amongst the other agents too. She was one of those people who it was hard to dislike. She wasn't perfect though, and made her mistakes, and had her failures. Yet with the experience she already possessed, and the experience she was gaining meant that these were few and far between. Her feedback from observations was also excellent, and my father thought highly of her too. He wanted her moved to the laboratories, but I knew she was happier out in the field. Six months on and she had come back from her first mission abroad, tracking down a rare variety of Arbok.

Meanwhile, I had personal things to sort out. My father's health had not been good recently. He was in his mid sixties now, and though he did not work as much as he did, he refused to give up completely, and could usually be found in a quiet corner running some experiment. Minty had tried to talk to him, but he just laughed off her concerns.

"I've managed to survive raising you two girls, so I hardly think a little spell of being under the weather is going to do much harm," he joked. Father was not the only of my concerns at the moment. Today I had got Giovanni's report from the Pokemon Tech, and the news was not good. He had failed the beginner's class once already and had to spend this year doing it again. Not only had he failed it again, he had done even worse than before. The report was littered with comments such as:

"Giovanni has plenty of potential, yet he puts in little effort."

"If he cannot get his act together I see no point in him continuing at the Institute."

Angry was the wrong word. I was livid. I had tossed the report into Eric's hands, and gone to find Giovanni who was outside holding a mock battle with his Krabby. Without saying anything I had grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back inside, all the way back into the living room. Work had been stressful recently and, coupled with the worry I had for my father, I had only needed the slightest thing to make me blow my top. Unfortunately for Giovanni, this wasn't a slight thing, at least, not to me.

"Do you think I paid all that money for you to spend two years sat on your backside?" I yelled. "Well, do you?"

"No," came the quiet reply.

"In that case why have you failed again? That you did once is bad enough, but to do so again and to do it even worse is not acceptable. I expected more from you. Everyone expected more from you."

"I don't like it there," Giovanni said in a small voice.

"Well if you hate it so much, then why don't you do some work and get out of there? This could have been your last year starting this September if you hadn't been such a lazy fool. Am I asking too much from you? Are you so stupid you cannot read a textbook?"

"Izzy." Eric said my name like a warning. I ignored him.

"I'm sorry," said Giovanni, wiping away a tear.

"Sorry for what? Not working hard enough? Being useless? Do you think I could run Team Rocket if I spent two days being bone-idle never mind two whole years? Would I be in charge if I didn't put in some effort? Your grandfather has spent the majority of his life dedicated to his work, and to laying the foundations of the company. You know what? He would like you to run it after me. For some reason he thinks you have great intelligence. Reading your report makes me wonder where he got that from."

"I'm not stupid," Giovanni sobbed. The tears were running down his face now. Eric got out of his seat and grabbed my shoulder. I shook him off.

"It's just as well you didn't go on a Pokemon Journey for you would be an even worse failure than you already are. You'd probably be dead by now," I stormed.

"That's enough," said Eric, stepping between Giovanni and me. We glared at each other. Eric turned to Giovanni.

"Clear off," he said. Giovanni bolted like a rabbit.

"I have not finished with him yet," I shouted, partially towards the door so Giovanni could hopefully hear me.

"There was no need for that," said Eric.

"Yes there was," I spat. "You are far too easy on him. You always have been."

"Compared to you a brick wall would be easy on him."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Yes, he had a bad report but there's no need to reduce him to tears."

"If he can't take his own mother having a word with him he's not worthy of anything."

"You call that having a word? He's not one of your agents."

"And what would you have done? Sat down and had a talk to him?"

"Yes. And I certainly wouldn't have called him a failure and useless."

"That's what he is."

"Will you calm down?"

"No I won't. Not until my son stops being a disappointment," I shouted. Eric could normally calm me down when I raged, but not this time.

"He is not a disappointment, Izzy. Maybe you should take the time to find the root of the problem instead of laying into him."

"He has brains somewhere in that head, he can use them to work out any problems he has. That's all he is, one big problem."

"I sincerely hope you do not mean that."

"Why? What are you going to do about it? If it hadn't been for you he wouldn't have existed, and we wouldn't be standing here arguing about the little runt now," I screamed. The next thing I knew was a stinging slap across my left cheek. I gasped and blinked, my mind reeling from the shock. I held my hand up to the cheek, and looked at Eric. I think he was almost as surprised as I was.

"Get out," I hissed, recovering some composure.

"Giovanni is not the only one who needs to think about their actions," Eric said.

"Get out!" I cried. Eric narrowed his eyes, and looked down on me coldly before he turned and left the room. I drew in another sharp breath, and walked over to look in a mirror that hung on one of the walls. My cheek was scarlet, and still throbbing. I still couldn't believe it. We'd had some horrendous arguments, but he had never lifted a finger against me. I made my way out of the room. No sign of Eric or Giovanni. I slipped into the study to immerse myself in some work for a few hours.

The next day things were very much more subdued. We talked about what to do with Giovanni calmly, and decided that the best thing to do was to get someone to give him some tuition to get him up to speed, even though that meant not taking a holiday that year. Despite what I had said in the heat of the moment, Giovanni was not stupid, and he was not a problem. Not a big one, anyway. Which is why I took two of my best agents off normal duties for the next few weeks to train him. One was Miyamoto, the other was a man named Xan, the only person who came close to Miya in terms of successful missions. If they couldn't get Giovanni on track then no one could, and I would be forced into reconsidering my successor. Fortunately for everyone, the idea seemed to work. Giovanni's report at Christmas was almost sparkling, and he seemed to be a lot happier in himself. Shortly after the New Year, I got a phone call I didn't want to get. My father had collapsed. Despite my wishes, my father had travelled to Saffron City to attend a conference. He had not been well at all over Christmas, seeming to suffer from one illness after another. I travelled to Saffron City to the hospital there where father had been taken. Minty also arrived. She wanted him moved to Celadon City, I wanted him moved to Viridian City, but the doctors told us father was too weak to go anywhere. He seemed okay when we first arrived, and was able to talk to us. Then he began to deteriorate quite rapidly, and two days later he passed away. Just like that, very quietly, very peacefully, a world away from the controlled mayhem that was Team Rocket.

After sorting out all the legal stuff, I travelled back to the headquarters. The past few days had seemed a blur. I snuck back in quietly, not wanting to be inundated with things the moment I passed through the gates. It was early evening, and was already getting dark. I slipped into the house, which was dark. Eric must be working late. I set my bag down on the table in the kitchen, not really knowing what to do with myself. I had not been in this situation before. My grandmother had died not long after my wedding, but I was not close to her. I had been too young to feel any impact from my mother leaving us. Members of Team Rocket died or disappeared, but that was to be expected. Later, Eric came home to find me sat brooding in almost complete darkness, the lamp in the corner casting a dim light.

"I didn't know you were coming back," he said, sitting beside me.

"There was no reason for me to stay any longer," I replied softly, not looking up.

"Izzy, I'm sorry," Eric said. I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. I didn't like crying, not even in front of Eric. It was a sign of weakness. The moment passed and I was able to open my eyes again.

"They said it was failure of his kidneys and liver," I said. "But he was fine when I first saw him…" I broke off, feeling the threat of tears again.

"Come here," he said gently, pulling me towards him. I leaned my head against his chest and wrapped my arms round him. He stroked my hair in a soothing way. Even after all these years I still wondered what I had done to deserve Eric. I realised it had been a while since we cuddled like this, and I nestled against him a bit more, drawing a warmth from him I often felt I myself lacked. It wasn't enough though. I raised my head and looked at him. He smiled at me affectionately. I didn't return the smile, just leaned towards him and kissed him, my fingers running through the hair on the back of his head. It wasn't quite as thick as it used to be, but was still soft. He knew what I wanted and didn't question me, instead simply kissing me back and gathering me in his arms. Soon I lay on our bed looking up at Eric, straight into his beautiful blue eyes. Making love might seem a strange thing to do under the circumstances, but I needed the closeness it brought, and it took away the pain I felt inside, even if that would be just for a little while. It also reinforced some of the bonds between us that had never gone away, but had faded a little. We didn't get the chance to be intimate much these days. Afterwards we held each other close as we lay under the covers, drifting in and out of conversation for a while. I listen to Eric's breathing as he sleeps, and concentrate on it to get rid of the stuff going through my head, using it to pull me into sleep too.

There was a surprising amount of people at Father's funeral. We all stood huddled in the cemetery, snow gently falling down round us. I could imagine my father being amused at the sight. Minty sobbed for most of it, yet I couldn't help feeling happy. It wasn't because I wanted Father to be dead, just the feeling that I could say goodbye to him knowing he had had a happy life, and was proud of me. He had told me that just before he died, as he lay in the hospital. Looking back I can see he knew he was going to die, even if neither Minty nor I wanted to believe it. Being the sensible man he was, he had made sure he had left a will. The personal fortune he had accumulated was split evenly between Minty, Stefan, Giovanni, and myself, though the money for Giovanni would be in a trust until he was eighteen. It wasn't like he was short of cash anyway, for he got a monthly allowance. Stefan could have his straight away, for he was almost nineteen and a half. Not that I thought he deserved anything, for he'd grown into a smart-arsed brat. I blamed Minty's partner Kyle for that. But it had been my father's money, and he had been fond of both his grandsons, though he often said Giovanni was the one more likely to make something of himself. Which of course secretly made me very pleased.


	4. Part Four

**Part Four**

Summer came around again, and Giovanni finally passed into the next class at the Pokemon Tech. I had Xan and Miyamoto tutor him again for the holidays. He had become quite good friends with them, and when he was home one of the first things he would ask was whether either of them were around. Xan had given him a Machop for his birthday, after nervously asking me first. People tended to be wary of Xan for he was a large muscular man who looked like he could crush rocks with his bare hands, so it amused me when he spoke to me in a nervous way. I could have put him in the security division, but despite his size at heart he didn't have the stomach for some of their darker tasks. Besides, he was an excellent field agent, and I saw no reason to move him. I came home from a visit to one of our laboratories in the north of the country to find Giovanni in an exuberant mood.

"Mum, guess what?"

"What?"

"I caught a Pokemon, all by myself!" He held out a Pokeball, his dark eyes seeking approval from me.

"Well I can't see through the Pokeball, Giovanni," I told him. He smiled bashfully at me, and threw the Pokeball to the ground. The beam of energy materialised itself into a Pokemon.

"Ratatta!" it shrieked. I bit my tongue to stop myself from shrieking too. I could not stand Ratattas. Raticates were even worse. Giovanni stood there expectantly.

"Ugh, what possessed you to catch a horrible, germ infested rat?" I asked, hiding my fear.

"It's not got germs. I was in the forest with Xan and Miya, and we decided it would be good practise for me to try and catch it," Giovanni retorted. I spotted the Ratatta making its way towards me.

"Just call it back, please. I do not want to see that thing in the house again," I said. He called back the Ratatta just before it reached my feet.

"Aren't you pleased?" he asked me, a little forlornly. I sighed, and managed a smile.

"Yes, I am. Though there are far better Pokemon out there in my opinion."

"Dad liked it."

"I'm not your father, am I?" I said. He shrugged and carefully placed the Pokeball back in his pocket. I shouldn't complain really, for he should have at least six Pokemon by now, but he only has three; the Ratatta, Krabby and Machop. I refuse to give him any despite his requests. He wanted to be a Pokemon trainer so he can get his Pokemon like trainers do. A couple of days later I was preparing to go to sleep. Eric was still reading one of his books.

"Will you stop doing that?" I mumbled crossly.

"Doing what?"

"Nudging me. I'm trying to get to sleep."

"I wasn't doing anything." We left it at that until something definitely ran across my legs. My eyes shot open. I sat up and looked at Eric.

"What?" he asked.

"Something's in the bed," I said. Before I could do anything else, I spotted something moving under the covers between Eric and myself.

"Ratatta!" The rat poked its head out from under the duvet. At the same time I screamed and tried to leap out of bed, but my legs got caught in the duvet and I found myself lying on the floor, tangled up in the covers. I looked for the Ratatta, and saw it was just centimetres from my face. I didn't scream this time, but settled instead for jumping back onto the bed, as far back as I could.

"Don't sit there laughing! Go and catch the horrible thing!" I shrieked at Eric, who was doubled up with laughter, tears streaming down his face.

"Stop laughing at me!" I demanded, which made him laugh even more. I shoved him roughly, which had no effect whatsoever, and steeled myself enough to carefully peer over the edge of the bed. No sign of the Ratatta, though it had to be in here somewhere.

Gradually I became aware of some more muffled giggling from behind the bedroom door. I pressed my lips together and scowled.

"Giovanni Sakaki, get yourself in here at once," I yelled. The door opened, and Giovanni slipped in, looking sheepish and mischievous all at the same time. His mouth was twisted in a way that showed he was trying not to laugh.

"I thought I told you I do not want to see that thing in the house," I fumed.

"Sorry," he said. The Ratatta scuttled over to him and he called it back.

"That wasn't very nice of you to frighten your mother like that," Eric said, unable to keep his amusement out of his voice.

"I was not scared by that Ratatta!" I yelled, making it all the more obvious I was.

"Why did you scream then?" Giovanni asked, putting on an innocent look. I glared at him, which was normally enough to subdue him, but not this time.

"Your allowance is stopped!" I told him, but I could see that I was not going to get anywhere, so I climbed off the bed and tried to muster some dignity.

"I will see you both in the morning," I said, and flounced off to one of the spare rooms for the rest of the night.

* * *

The Ratatta seemed to disappear after that. I don't know what happened to it, and didn't care. Giovanni became more aloof over the next few months. Every question was met with a shrug or grunt, and he never did anything I asked him to unless I yelled at him or clipped him round the ear. So when I told him one day, not long before Christmas, not to go into the forest because the weather was going to be terrible, with snow and high winds predicted, I was not really surprised to come home to find he had disappeared.

"He just said he was going out somewhere," Eric said.

"Where?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I was reading a book," he admitted. I looked out at the almost dark sky outside. It had been snowing for a good three hours now.

"If anything has happened to him, it will be your fault," I said, pointing at him. He didn't reply. I clenched my fists and then went over to the phone.

"Trey, my idiot of a son has disappeared. I think he's in the forest somewhere. Find as many available people as you can and start a search."

"Yes ma'am," Trey replied. I put the phone down.

"Now I have to waste my resources looking for him," I said. Eric turned and began to walk out the room.

"Where are you going?" I snapped.

"To help look for him," Eric replied shortly. By midnight there was still no sign of Giovanni. Eric returned along with some of the agents. He persuaded me to go to bed, but I couldn't sleep. Instead I stood at the bedroom window, like I had done years ago when I had been pregnant with my son. I wondered where on earth he could have got to. It had not been a year since father died, and the thought of loosing my son so soon after him… He had to be all right. He was a tough boy in many ways. I liked to think I helped him become that. Standing here was pointless; I had to be doing something. I got myself dressed again and headed downstairs and out towards my office.

Morning came, and with it some good news. Miyamoto and Cal had found Giovanni huddled under a bush. Though somewhat cold, hungry and bedraggled, amazingly he seemed fine. For once I wasn't angry, just hugely relieved. I couldn't help but wrap him in a hug when I saw him. I think he realised how worried I had been, for he said he was sorry before anything else. Apparently he had gone out for the sake of it, spotted a stray Geodude and had gone after it, caught it, then realised he had got lost in the process. I rewarded Miyamoto and Cal generously, though for Miyamoto I think finding him was enough. She came to see him shortly afterwards to see how he was doing, then went off to Germany on yet another mission. I was glad Giovanni had her and Xan to look up to, as I know he did. I would like to think he looks up to me too, but I think he has been yelled at once too often for that. Still, he is at least trying to aspire to be something now, and I can once again place my faith in him.

Because Giovanni is away at the Pokemon Tech for most of his time, it is more noticeable to me how he changes as he gets older. When he came home for the summer holidays that year, the first thing that struck me was how much he had grown. I can't physically look down on him any more. Like most teenagers who have just gone through a growth spurt he lacked any spatial awareness, and for a while was clumsy and awkward. I was glad when the summer finished and he could go back to the tech for his final year, and do some destruction there.

Speaking of destruction, one of my outposts got raided by the police. Indignant, I tried to get through to someone who could tell me why that had happened. Team Rocket's bases were supposed to have been protected from such things. Agents, on the other hand, were responsible for themselves. If they got caught doing anything illegal, then they paid the price. They deserved being locked up for their incompetence. I wouldn't get them bailed out unless I felt there were mitigating circumstances. Unfortunately, a side effect of this meant some of them became backstabbers when they were let out, and had to be eliminated. The same went for anyone who threatened me with blackmail or my life, whether they be internal or one of the pitiful rival gangs that occasionally spring up. Trey trained his people well.

People on the outside may look at Team Rocket with fear or disdain, but there are far greater evils in the world then stealing a few Pokemon for profit, experimentation, or in the case of a rare few, my own pleasure. They should be grateful, for we help expand the whole world's knowledge of the creatures even now as we did twenty years ago. Alas that what is on the outside is often how people judge things. I do not make that mistake, for I know better. An agent can look as intelligent and as smart as he likes, but that does not mean he is. He has to prove himself to me first.

Running this business is tough, but I like it. I like the power it has given me. When I walk down a corridor people now practically stand to attention out of a combination of fear and respect, though I have never asked for such behaviour. I have heard it said that I can be unpredictable, though I do not believe this to be true. If someone does a good job, they are congratulated, if they do a bad one, they are punished. It is as simple as that. There are the usual jealous mutterings amongst the ranks that I treat people like Miyamoto with favouritism, but I remind anyone who questions me on matters like this that this young woman has done her job well. She has had many successful missions, and one good mission does not mean that you are automatically raised to her level. Not long after her twenty-first birthday, I had her in my office again.

"I heard you had quite a good time on your birthday," I said. She went red, and tried to hide a grin.

"Yes, I did," she replied.

"So, did you get what I asked for?" I asked her. She seemed to wince slightly and then opened up a Pokeball. A moment later a pink blobby thing was sat in her arms.

"Ditto!" It said. I looked at Miya for an explanation.

"It's a Ditto, ma'am. One of the newly discovered Pokemon that will be entered into the International Pokemon Catalogue in the summer."

"I wanted a Jynx," I replied shortly.

"I know, but I happened to come across this first. It's quite a sweet little thing, isn't it?"

"I don't care what it looks like, Miyamoto. What can it do?"

"Well because it's new it needs further research…" she began and then recognising the expression on my face she stopped and began again.

"What is known about this Pokemon is its ability to transform itself into anything it chooses. Watch." She placed the Ditto on my desk, and the Pokeball it came in next to it. She pointed to the Pokeball. "Ditto, transform into that," she said.

"Ditto!" It said, happily. It glowed, as if evolving, but instead it was busy reshaping itself. After a couple of seconds, I had two Pokeballs on my desk. Miyamoto picked them both up, shuffled them behind her back, and placed them back down again.

"Now ma'am, which one is Ditto?" she asked. I studied the Pokeballs hard. Visually I could not tell, so I picked them both up. They both felt the same too. I raised my arm and threw both the Pokeballs over Miya's shoulder so they slammed against the far wall.

"Ditto!" one of them squeaked.

"That one," I said dryly, pointing at the Pokeball that had made the noise. Miya went to pick it up. It transformed back into its original form.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, hugging the Ditto, which nestled against her. I just raised an eyebrow.

"This Ditto can turn into anything?" I said. Miya nodded. She fished out one of her own Pokeballs, and placed the Ditto on the floor.

"Ditto, transform," she said. I stood up and peered over my desk. There were two Vulpix's standing staring at each other. Again I could not tell the difference. One yapped, and they both started chasing each other round the office.

"Vulpix, return!" Miya said hastily. She aimed for the wrong one. On the second attempt she got it right. She picked up the remaining one, and it turned back into Ditto again.

"Interesting," I said. "Not what I asked for, but it is a satisfactory alternative."

"I should think so," Miya said. Anyone else who answered like that would have been reprimanded. Instead I clasped my hands together.

"Take it down to the labs so it can be studied. Then you can go back out there and get the Jynx I wanted."

"Yes ma'am," Miya replied, returning the Ditto into the Pokeball.

"If you're quick about it you may get a holiday this summer," I said.

"It'll be strange not training Giovanni with Xan," she replied. "Hopefully he won't have a problem passing his final exams."

"He had two of my best agents tutoring him, so he has no reason fail," I said, an underlying tone in my voice. Miya nodded, and then smiled brightly at me.

"Well, I'd better go now," she said.

"Time is money," I replied as she left.

She got me a Jynx eventually, as I knew she would. And Giovanni finally made it out of the Pokemon Technical Institute, as I knew he would. For the next couple of years I wanted him to work for me before going off to university. He looked at me doubtfully until I told him he'd be paid for it like everyone else. He would spend some time learning the ropes of what it would take to run Team Rocket. August this year was another boiling hot affair, much like the one in which Giovanni had been born. Tempers were short all round, meaning mine was on a knife-edge. The smallest thing made me snap, and people did their best to avoid me. As well as Giovanni's birthday, August brought a visitor. A large fancy car drew up in a cloud of dust one Saturday.

"Aunt Isabella, it's great to see you."

"Stefan? What brings you here?"

"We're sorry it's a week late, but I've got some presents from mum and myself for Giovanni," Stefan replied, holding up a bag. His dark hair had grown long and was tied back in a ponytail. He wore his shirt open at the collar, and despite the warm weather, had a jacket slung over his shoulder. A real poser. I called for someone to bring us a drink as we sat back down at the table outside. Though it was evening, it was still quite warm outside.

"Giovanni's not here at the moment," I said. "He's gone to watch the finals of the Pokemon League with his father and a couple of friends. They should be back soon."

"Ah well. Mum said that he'd finally graduated from the Pokemon Tech?"

"Yes, he did. How's your mother, anyway?"

"She's fine. She wanted to come and see you herself, but she's busy preparing to go on holiday. I was heading down this way myself, on the way to Seafoam Island, so I said I'd pop in for her."

"I see. You still live at home then?"

"No, not at all. I moved out a few months ago. It would have been sooner, but there were a few things to sort out, you know, with Kyle." He sighed. Kyle, just as I had long suspected, was only after money. He'd tried to steal money out of Minty's account, and got pretty nasty about it too. Minty had rung up in floods of tears one night when it had all got too much and they had ended up with the police round. Kyle was in prison now. The whole affair had upset Stefan a lot too. I changed the subject.

"What are you doing at the moment?"

"Not a lot. I'm just enjoying myself this summer, after all you're only twenty-one once. Maybe I'll find something better to do later," he replied, casually. He'd never had life hard, never had to work for anything. He'd had a load of money dropped into his lap a couple of years ago that would be enough to last him for life providing he didn't throw it away. Minty hadn't helped, and neither had Kyle when he was around. The incident with Kyle I think had made him grow up a little. We chatted away for about another half an hour before he made his excuses and left. Well, he left the house. On the way out I noticed he had met Giovanni and Eric coming back from the Pokemon League. Miyamoto had gone with them, partly because Giovanni had invited her, partly because I wanted her to look out for any decent Pokemon. I watched them from a window. If it were possible for eyes to turn into little hearts, then they would have done with Stefan when he saw Miyamoto. He smiled a very charming smile at her when they were introduced, and kissed her hand. She smiled at him sweetly, but I don't think she was interested for she made some excuse and headed off to one of the blocks of rooms for the night. Stefan talked to Giovanni and Eric for a few more minutes before he jumped into his car and was on his way again.

* * *

"Have you done something to your hair?"

"No."

"You have. Let me have a look," said Eric, taking hold of a lock of my hair. He held it up to the light, then sniffed it. He grinned at me.

"You've dyed it."

"So what?" I said, pulling the lock out of his grasp and smoothing it back into place.

"You didn't have that many grey hairs," he said. I narrowed my eyes.

"Least I'm not going bald," I retorted. Eric just laughed.

"It'll be a few years yet before I am," he said, touching his receding hairline. We were slowly but surely getting older. I would be forty-three on my next birthday, and like it or not I was beginning to show one of the first signs of getting old: grey hair. I blamed it on stress. They kind of crept in, one by one until I noticed my ebony hair was mottled with them, as if a spider had weaved its silk through it. Well I couldn't have that, could I? So I had quietly nipped out and bought some hair dye. I thought no one would notice, though I should have known better with Eric. It inevitably happens to us all no matter what pills you take or what creams you use. I wondered if anyone would still take me seriously when I got to about sixty. But hopefully by then Giovanni would be almost ready to step into my place. Despite his reluctance as a child, now he was interested in Team Rocket, and accepted that he would one day lead it. He paid careful attention to everything that was shown to him. I let him go out on a couple of short missions – something which he had nagged me about often - with some of the agents so he could see what it was all about first hand. A few cold nights in a sleeping bag soon quelled most of that curiosity.

And then there was the gym in Viridian City. It had been derelict for years and was due to be demolished and built over as part of an urban renewal plan of the city centre. To me it was an excellent opportunity to expand Team Rocket's horizons again. What better way to spy on unsuspecting trainers and their Pokemon? So using a couple of my connections in high places, I bought the gym and began the long task of rebuilding it. It would be expensive, for the remains of the old gym had to be taken down, and then the whole site redeveloped. The new gym would not be ready for at least another two years, for there were other features I was planning to put in. The only problem was that I seemed to be the only one who thought running a gym a good idea. Eric had laughed, and both Oliver and Trey failed to see my point of view. I realised that there was no way I could be its leader for I lacked the relevant skills. However, Giovanni was a different story. He had the qualifications and experience. I asked him if he would like to lead the gym, and his face lit up. Maybe he could take charge of that while I looked after the rest of Team Rocket. That way he would be out of my way, too. Perfect.


	5. Part Five

**Part Five**

The alarm went off at 5am, a good hour earlier than I would have liked, but it wasn't for me. Eric was going to a three-day conference at Azure City, and needed to set out early for it was a good four-hour drive away.

"You could have always used the helicopter which would have got you there in an hour or so," I mumbled for the millionth time as I turned over and tried to go back to sleep.

"I can't turn up to something like that in an enormous black helicopter, can I?" was always his reply. I was proud of my helicopter, which I had acquired two months ago. Saved a lot of time and a lot of driving around. But of course not everyone is as efficient as I am, husband included. No, I shouldn't say that, Eric's always been good at handling his time. I don't think he likes flying actually, for I had to almost drag him on board when we went to test it out. I don't fly it personally of course; I have someone to do that. I wouldn't know where to start. The trouble with me is once my sleep has been disturbed, I find it hard to drop off again. Come to think of it, I don't think I had that problem until I was pregnant. I sigh and lie on my back looking up at the ceiling, listening to Eric trot back and forth getting himself ready.

"You won't forget to get some information on the people giving the lectures, will you?" I asked.

"I haven't forgotten. Anyway, one of them lives only a few miles from here in Pallet Town. A Professor Oak, I think. You could send someone to look at his place before I've even heard his lecture," Eric replied. I looked at him.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" I asked.

"I only found out a couple of weeks ago," he said. "Things kept cropping up which made me forget."

"You'd better not forget anything whilst you're at this conference," I said. He smiled at me.

"I won't. I've been doing this job long enough now, Izzy," he said, doing up his tie. He was soon ready to go.

"I'm going to get some breakfast. Do you want a drink or are you staying in bed?" he asked.

"I'll be down in a minute," I replied. After spending a further five minutes in bed I dragged myself out, wrapped myself in my dressing gown and went downstairs. Dawn was well on its way now. I sat down at the table, and Eric brought over a cup of tea for me. We had our usual morning conversation about what my plans were for the day, and what needed seeing to, who needed to be briefed in something, how so-and-so was useless, typical run of the mill stuff. Eric finished his breakfast, went to put on his coat and then looked at me sweetly, holding his arms open. I smiled and went over to him, and we hugged each other.

"I'll ring when I get there," he said.

"I'm not in my office today remember," I replied.

"We have an answer phone, don't we?" he said. I looked up at him. He ruffled my hair. "You'll always be beautiful whatever your hair colour," he said affectionately, referring to our conversation the previous night. I squeezed him with my arms causing him to groan.

"I'll see you in three days then," I said, kissing him soundly. He nodded and returned my kiss.

"Bye," he said, stepping out of the door and closing it quietly behind him. I went into the kitchen and listened as the sound of the car engine broke the early morning silence before fading again.

A couple of nights later, my sleep was disturbed by the phone ringing. Groggily, I reached for it, noticing at the same time that the clock said half past five.

"This had better be good," I spat down the phone. Whoever was on the other end audibly gulped before speaking.

"Uh… Ma'am it's about Mr Sakaki."

"What about him?" I said, not liking the tone of his voice. Sleep dropped off me.

"He's been in some sort of accident. He's in Azure City hospital."

"How is he?"

"I…I don't know Ma'am. I think it's pretty bad."

"Have the helicopter prepared this instant. I'm on my way," I said, putting down the phone. I hurriedly got dressed, trying not to think of what might have happened to Eric. In a few minutes I was on board the helicopter on my way to Azure City. It was an agonisingly long journey. When we finally arrived at the hospital, I marched straight in demanding to be taken to him.

"Mrs Sakaki, there's some things you should know first," the doctor told me.

"You can tell me on the way," I answered back. The doctor took my arm and almost pulled me into a room.

"Well?" I said impatiently. The doctor seemed to shuffle slightly.

"I'm afraid your husband has died," he said quietly. I shook my head.

"No, that can't be true. He was alive when I was told he was here. You must be mistaken."

"He passed away about forty five minutes ago. I'm sorry," said the doctor.

"I want to see him," I said. This was stupid. I wanted to see Eric, not some dead person.

"Soon, Mrs Sakaki. We'll need you to formally identify your husband. Unfortunately I must give you some more bad news."

"More?"

"I don't think his injuries were consistent with an accident," the doctor said.

"He was attacked?" I said. That didn't seem to make any sense either. They must have the wrong person. Eric was probably still tucked up in bed in his hotel.

"Yes. He had severe head injuries when he was found. The post-mortem will be able to tell us more."

"I'd like to see him now, and get this sorted out," I said firmly. The doctor nodded, and escorted me back out of the room. We went down several long corridors until we reached a room. I made the agent that came with us wait outside. There on the bed was a body covered with a sheet.

"Are you sure you are up to this?" asked the doctor. I folded my arms and looked at him.

"Let's get this over and done with," I said. The doctor remained expressionless as he pulled back the sheet. I looked down and actually felt the colour draining from my face. It was Eric. I had known it deep down that the doctor was not mistaken, but now I could no longer deny the fact to myself.

"Is this your husband?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," I said, touching Eric's cheek. He didn't look as if someone had attacked him. He looked asleep, and part of me wanted to tell him to wake up and stop being stupid. The rational part of my mind was the more dominant though. Eric was gone. Though his body lay before me, it was just a shell. Still, I leant forwards, placed a kiss on his lips then stood up straight again. I watched as the doctor pulled the sheet back over Eric's face.

"How long until I can have the body back?" I asked.

"About a week. We need to do tests to establish exact cause of death."

"I don't suppose you have any clue as to who did this?"

"No. You'd have to talk to the police," the doctor replied. I winced internally at that. I noticed my agent was gesturing to me through the doorway and went out of the room without looking back.

"Ma'am, it's your son," he said, passing me a phone. I took it.

"Giovanni?" I said. I remembered then I had forgotten to leave anything to tell him where I had gone, and wished he hadn't called, not at this point in time.

"Mum? Someone said dad's had an accident? How is he?"

"Well," I began, and then for once was lost for words. I moved away from my agent and the doctor to get some privacy and to stall for time.

"Giovanni, he's dead." Maybe I could have said it in a different way, but at the end of the day there was no way to soften the blow. There was a silence at the end of the phone.

"He had very bad injuries," I said.

"What happened to him?" Giovanni eventually asked.

"I don't know yet," I replied, half-truthfully. I did not wish to discuss this over the phone.

"When did he die?"

"Before I got here," I said.

"Oh," was all he said. I could tell he was struggling, and decided to finish up.

"I'll be home before the end of the day," I told him. "I have some matters to take care of first."

"Okay," he said. I suddenly wished I was home with him.

"You go and do whatever you want today," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," he repeated, and then we both hung up.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur. Talking to the police was a nasty business, but I needed to find out what had happened to Eric. By the time I was ready to go home, I had some idea. Last night he had gone out for a drink with a group of people he had met at the conference. He had decided to leave before the others so he'd get a decent nights sleep before the final couple of items at the conference and the long drive home. Some witnesses had come forward to say that a man seemed to be following him. He got almost to the hotel when someone else said they saw Eric and this man arguing. The passer-by had continued on his way, thinking nothing of it. About half an hour later, Eric was found sprawled on the pavement, with what turned out to be fatal head injuries. Another two minutes and he would have been safe in the hotel. I had left the agent that had accompanied me to Azure City behind to get as much extra information as possible. It was now early evening, and I was home. Nobody had said much to me. I don't think they really knew what to say. I asked not to be disturbed for the rest of the day. Giovanni was waiting for me. He made me a cup of tea without being asked, and sat down with me at the kitchen table.

"Do you know anything else about what happened to dad?" he asked. I gritted my teeth. How do you tell your child that their father has been murdered?

"Yes I did," I began. Giovanni looked at me expectantly. "It was no accident," I said.

"Someone killed him?" Giovanni said. "Who?"

"I don't know. But I will find out, Giovanni, even if it takes twenty years and half my fortune. I will speak to Trey about it in the morning after the agent I left in Azure City has updated me on any news."

"Why would someone want to kill Dad?"

"I don't know," I said again. That had been something nagging at me. I could understand if someone wanted to kill me, but not Eric. There had been no death threats, no internal problems for a while now.

"I hope the bastard burns in hell," Giovanni told me, heatedly.

"So do I," I replied, ignoring his language. "And I hope it is after a slow and painful death."

"Was dad in pain?"

"It wouldn't have been for very long," I said, hoping that was true.

"We'll find whoever did this, mum. I know we will," said Giovanni, determinedly. I could see anger burning in his dark eyes. He was all I had left now.

"I suppose I had better make some phone calls," I said, rising.

"Is there something I can do? Don't you want something to eat?" he asked. I realised I had hardly eaten all day, but I wasn't hungry. I shook my head, and then left the kitchen.

The calls weren't the easiest thing I had ever done, but I managed it. Now I was sat on the bed going through Eric's suitcase that I had brought back with me. At the hotel I had kind of tossed everything in, but now I went through the items in it slowly. I told myself it was in case there might be some clue to his killer, but it wasn't that. I knew there probably wouldn't be anything. I found a set of notes that he had made during the conference, and set them aside. I would read those at a later date. I took out one of his shirts, and pressed the material against my cheek, breathing in the faint scent that still lingered on it. I reached into the case again and brought out the case that contained his reading glasses. I opened it, and took them out, holding them in front of me. My mind went back to the Project Rocket days when I was nineteen and Eric was just a distant fantasy for me. When we first met, I didn't make a good impression on Eric, so when I began to get feelings for him, I used to ask him to read through my work for me to try and break the ice between us. It was also so I could see him in his reading glasses. I thought they made him look even more endearing, especially when he would look up and his eyes would kind of peer out over the rims.

Ah, his eyes. They had been what had attracted me to Eric in the first place. I don't know if it was because of his jet-black hair, but they seemed such a vivid blue. He always smiled with his eyes as well as his mouth.

I folded up the glasses again, and realised that tears had begun trickling down my face. I wiped them off, but they wouldn't stop coming. I held my hand up to my mouth in time to stifle a large sob. I set the glasses down on Eric's bedside cabinet, next to a photograph he had on it of me holding Giovanni when he was about a year old. Then I lay down, curling myself into a ball. I cried the hardest I had done for a very long time. This was worse than when my father died. At least there was a sense of closure with his death, and I got to say goodbye to him. The last time I had spoken to Eric was in the evening of the first day of the conference, the day he left.

If I had known it to be the last time…

He should have been home now. He should have been telling me more about the conference. He should have been asleep beside me tonight. Why did I start arguments with him over the smallest things? Why didn't I ever tell him how much I appreciated all the little things he did? Like bringing me cups of coffee when I was staying up late to finish a bit of work. Or always giving me a kiss goodnight. Or how I would always come down to find a bouquet of red roses and peach lilies – the flowers in my wedding bouquet – sat on the table on our wedding anniversary, even though I sometimes forgot it. Or…

When was the last time I told Eric I loved him? Or even said that I appreciated him? Eric was never afraid to disagree with me and although it meant some heated rows, deep down I loved the fact that he was challenging me. He stopped me from entering some very dark places, and I often wondered what my life might have been like if I had never met him. It was then I felt the anger that someone had dared take him from me for no apparent reason. When I found them, they would pay dearly.

I must have cried myself to sleep for I woke up to find it was pitch black. After getting changed, I crawled into bed and tried to go back to sleep. It was a restless night, as were the few following it. Things weren't helped by Eric's brother phoning up to lambaste me after being informed of the news by their parents. Matthew had been the only person in Eric's family to know what we were really involved in. Everyone else thought that I ran a science business and my chain of Pokemon pet shops as a side project.

"He should have left you the moment you brought up the idea of Team Rocket," he said.

"I never forced Eric into anything," I replied.

"He gave up everything for you, Isabella. He turned his back on his career, everything he had aspired to do, all so he could be with you."

"Eric had his career. He was a highly respected scientist. You know that," I retorted.

"Yes, but living on a knife-edge. What if someone found out the truth behind his work? Did you ever think what that might have done to him?"

"It would never have happened. I protected him more than anyone else in Team Rocket," I said.

"Then why is he dead? Where was your 'protection' whilst he was getting his head smashed in?"

"I don't believe Eric was killed because of Team Rocket," I replied.

"Oh, come off it. Of course he was."

"The evidence gathered by the police says so."

"Sure. How much arm twisting did you do?"

"Why the hell would I want to falsify the evidence on the murder of my own husband?" I asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that my brother is dead and as far as I'm concerned, you're responsible," Matthew said. His words pierced me in a way that none had done for years.

"I don't take kindly to being accused of things I didn't do," I replied, trying to regain some composure.

"Isabella, be the big crime boss all you want. I know you're just a peasant girl who got lucky."

"I've worked hard for everything in my life," I said.

"Yeah, including Eric. You must have been really pleased to have married above you. I'm surprised that you kept him around all these years, but I suppose he served his purpose."

"How dare you," was all I managed to get out.

"Oh don't sound so upset. I know how selfish you are. I bet you don't even realise how many times Eric came close to leaving you."

"I hardly think that you're in a position to brag about a successful marriage," I answered, seething. If he'd been this end of the phone, I'd have wrapped the cord around his neck, regardless of him being Eric's brother.

"I'm going to end this conversation," I said, firmly.

"Why? Don't you like a few home truths?" Matthew asked.

"If you really understood who I am, Matt, you…"

"You're a cold-hearted bitch. End of story," he interrupted.

"I'll see you at the funeral," I answered, and put the phone down. For I don't know how long, I stood there trembling. I had put the phone down on him, yet somehow I was the one feeling utterly belittled. Was Matt right? Were the police wrong and in fact Eric had been killed by a rival gang? No. No, that was not what had happened. The criminal world didn't operate like that. I'd have known by now if Eric had been purposely targeted. But Matthew's words still rang in my ears - he sounded so much like Eric over the phone…

"It wasn't my fault!" I cried, at the same time ripping the telephone out of its socket and throwing it across the room, where it crashed against a table, sending the objects on it scattering all over the place. I stood staring at the mess, letting myself calm down. I went over to where the phone had landed and began to tidy up the consequences of my fit of pique. Giovanni came into the room, obviously having heard the noise.

"Mum?"

"It's nothing."

"Who was on the phone?" He came over and crouched down beside me.

"Your uncle," I replied through gritted teeth. I didn't look at him, instead inspecting the telephone for damage.

"What did he say?"

"Not much." To my dismay, I felt the feeling of tears welling up inside me, a feeling that had become too familiar to me over the past three days. I hated the mess I had become, unable to control my emotions. It was bad enough that Giovanni had to see me as he did. He had not, and would not see me cry though. Eric never did.

"He blamed you, didn't he?" I didn't reply. He put a hand on my arm. "Mum!"

"He was just upset," I said, still not looking at him.

"It was more than that," Giovanni said. I knew that he was worried about me, as he had been since I had arrived home from Azure City.

"If I wanted to discuss it with you, Giovanni, then I would," I said.

"You don't want to talk to me about Dad anyway," he replied. Again, I didn't answer him, instead reaching out to pick up a picture frame. I turned it over. It was a photograph of me and Eric, taken on an evening out. I couldn't recall what the event was, but it didn't matter. I looked at Eric. The last time I had seen him alive was…not quite a week ago. Had such little time passed since I had kissed him goodbye? Had he really been tempted in the past to leave me? Look at this photograph. Eric had his arm around my shoulders, holding me close to his side. He was proud to be with me. Matthew had been exaggerating. He had to have been exaggerating. Eric wouldn't have stayed married to me for nearly twenty years if he had been that unhappy. And I certainly would never have married him if I didn't love him. It would have wasted my time, and I do not like things that waste my time. As a young woman, I was not one of those simpering girls who couldn't bear to be without a man. I could have quite happily done without a husband if Eric hadn't come along. In fact, as a teenager I had sworn that I would never get married. How could someone – someone whose own marriage fell apart - have the nerve to tell me that my marriage was a sham? A tear splashed onto Eric's image. I wiped it off carefully with my thumb and then realised that Giovanni was still with me.

"See if that phone still works," I said briskly, clutching the photograph to my chest as I rose. He looked up at me and tried to say something, but I hurried out of the room before he could do so. I had exposed enough weakness for one day.

Eric's funeral was soon after, on a beautiful sunny day. Matthew and I managed to put on a show of civility but inside I knew that I would never forgive him for what he had said to me. I missed Eric terribly, for he had been my best friend as well as my husband, and it took a good few months before I could bring myself to get rid of some of his belongings such as clothes. After the initial fuss, everything died down somewhat, and life returned to some kind of normality. Everyone in all three divisions and their sub-divisions of Team Rocket knew what had happened to Eric and knew that I would suitably reward whoever found his killer. With most of Team Rocket looking for the person, it would only be a matter of time before he was found. Yet in a more direct manner, I entrusted Trey to find the killer for me. Of all my agents, I knew he could do it.

A year passed and no one had found Eric's killer. Trey insisted he was getting there, but if the killer had gone underground, that made things even more difficult even though we were underground ourselves. Giovanni had taken Eric's death hard too – he was a lot closer to his father than he was to me. Ironically, he was much more my son than he was Eric's. I had been told as much when he was growing up, and now that he was practically grown up I could see it. When we got on, we got on fine, but without Eric as a mediator, some of our battles were ferocious. Giovanni had grown tall, gaining an inch or so on his father – who hadn't lacked in stature himself, as he had liked to remind me on occasion - and often tried to use his height to intimidate me. However, I was not easily intimidated, especially not by my own son. I understood him to some extent, he was keen to spread his wings and in the process test the boundaries of his new found adulthood. When he went away to university, it eased things somewhat. University helped him finish growing up, especially when he had his first serious relationship with a girl. I knew that it wasn't his first girlfriend – there had been one or two teenage flings. It only lasted about six months or so, and I never got to meet her. He seemed kind of evasive when I asked him why it had ended, for he had been happy enough with her. He had mumbled something about "just one of those things" and the matter was left at that.

* * *

Almost two years to the day Eric had died, and Trey came to me with the news I had been waiting for.

"Some good news, and some bad news, ma'am," he said.

"What's the good news?" I asked.

"I've tracked down your husband's killer to Vermilion City. I have someone keeping an eye on him at the moment."

"And the bad news?"

"I believe you know him. Your sister's old partner, the one who went to jail."

"Kyle?" I said, and frowned. "Minty never said anything about him being released."

"Maybe he didn't go and see her," Trey replied.

"Bring him in," I ordered. Trey nodded and left the office. I picked up my phone and dialled Minty's number.

"Hello?"

"Minty, why didn't you tell me Kyle had been released early?"

"He came to see me just after he was let out, but of course I refused to have anything to do with him and haven't seen him since. I wasn't going to tell you because I know what you would have done."

"Too right," I replied, fuming. Despite all Kyle had put her through, Minty refused to let me have Kyle 'sorted out'. She wouldn't even let me twist a few arms in order to get him put away for far longer than the measly sentence he received. And if I'd known he was to be released early, I could have done something about that, too. He'd probably spent his time in jail laughing at my inaction.

"Why are you asking me, anyway?" Minty asked.

"It doesn't matter. I just heard something and was curious," I replied.

"Oh. You sound pretty angry for something out of curiosity," she said.

"I'm not having a good day," I said, which I felt was an understatement.

"You're not going to go after him, are you?" she asked.

"He'd still be in prison if you'd let me…"

"He got what he deserved. And I'm not stupid enough to take him back if that's what you're worried about. Do you think I'm that weak-willed?" Minty's voice was firm, but tinged with a mild hurt tone.

"No, of course I don't," I replied, relenting. Although Minty was soft-hearted, like me she knew her own mind and once she had made a decision it could be as hard to change her mind as it was with me.

"The whole thing with Kyle is history now. I've moved on and I thought that you would have done too," she said.

"Believe me, I don't waste my time thinking about people like him," I said. "I only wanted the news confirmed."

"Well, you have done. And I hope that you leave it at that," she said, slipping into the 'I'm your elder sister' voice which I had been familiar with for my whole life and naturally didn't take kindly to.

"Why do you continue to protect him?" I asked.

"I'm not. I just don't think that your ideas of how to deal with Kyle are appropriate. Look, we've discussed this. If you say that you don't waste your time thinking about him, then why are we having this conversation?" She was beginning to sound irritated, and I did not wish to get into a full blown argument with her, especially over filth like Kyle.

"You're right. This is silly. It doesn't matter anymore," I said, hoping I sounded sufficiently disinterested.

"Thank you," she replied, graciously.

"I have to go now," I said, knowing that the dispute had ended.

"Okay, Isabella. I'll speak to you soon. Bye."

"Bye." I closed my eyes in frustration. Stupid, stupid Araminta. I knew I should have trusted my instinct and have gone ahead with my threat against Kyle. But it hadn't been what Minty wanted. Eric had backed her up on the matter, too. I put the thought out of my head.

A few hours later, with Trey by my side, I made my way down to the place where some people had ended their miserable existences. There stood Kyle, with two guards. He smirked at me.

"Well if it isn't Isabella. Took your goons long enough. Must be slipping."

"Why?" I asked.

"Why? Why did you have to ruin my life? I loved Minty, and looked on Stefan as my own son. But I wasn't good enough for you, was I? You had to pull us apart, even though we were happy."

"You did that all by yourself. You abused Minty, you stole her money. The only time I got involved was when Minty asked me to."

"You made her concoct some story to the police. Then you filled her head with stuff so that when I went to see her she didn't want to know me," Kyle said adamantly.

"So you killed Eric just because of that?" I snarled. The smirk came back onto Kyle's face.

"I had some business to take care of in Azure City. I was going to come after you, but then decided that was too risky. So I had decided to go to the police with as much information as possible about Team Rocket."

"You know nothing about Team Rocket. You couldn't have even located the headquarters," I retorted. I knew that I couldn't reasonably expect Minty to withhold Team Rocket from Kyle, but I had made her promise never to reveal that the headquarters were near my home. Kyle had never been allowed to wander our grounds by himself.

"Then by the merest chance I saw Eric walking down a street, so followed him," Kyle continued, ignoring me. "When I got closer, I called to him. I can still remember the look of surprise on his face. Then I thought 'That bitch took my girl away from me, so why don't I repay the favour? Get at her in an indirect way.' I don't know exactly what happened next, but I started yelling something about you, and he began yelling back. I picked up some brick and went towards him, my arm raised. He told me not to be stupid, but I didn't care. I'll give him credit, he put up quite a fight, but I managed to give him a good crack over the head. It only stunned him, so I hit him again and again, till he was unconscious on the pavement. Then I left. And you know what?"

"What?" I hissed. Kyle leant forwards.

"I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it because I knew how it would affect you."

"You are insane," I replied. "It's all in your head. You drove Minty away yourself and then you killed Eric to get at me. You made him suffer for no reason."

"Aww, the big boss has a heart after all. Oh, if only you could have heard his dying cries, seen the blood running down his face…"

"Shut up," I snarled, placing both my hands round Kyle's neck with such force his head snapped back against the wall. I squeezed as hard as I could, my fingernails digging into the flesh of his neck. When he began to loose consciousness, I let go and watched with hatred as he spluttered back to life.

"Not bad," he wheezed. "Though I was expecting worse."

"I haven't finished yet," I said. I turned to Trey. "Your gun, please." Trey looked at me a little surprised, but knew better than to defy me. He handed me the weapon. I raised it so it was pointed between Kyle's eyes.

"Do you think I don't know how to use this?" I asked.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, a slight quaver of fear in his voice. The two guards next to him looked at each other uncertainly. I set the gun to fire, the click making an echo round the room. Then I turned and walked away from Kyle, the gun lowered by my side.

"I thought as much," Kyle mocked. Suddenly I spun round on my heel and shot him clean through the knee. As he howled with pain, I handed the gun back to Trey.

"Nice shot," he commented. I was not interested in compliments.

"Take your time," I said to him. I gave Kyle one last look.

"Goodbye Kyle," I said, heartlessly, and left the room. Eric's murderer had been found, but that did not make me particularly happy since I now knew he was killed for such a stupid little reason by a stupid little man. I never revealed to Giovanni the identity of his father's killer, nor told Minty. I simply told them that he had been caught and dealt with. At least it was something off my mind in one sense.

* * *

The next couple of years passed by quietly. Giovanni graduated from university, with first class honours, I am proud to say. Then came something I never expected.

"Ma'am, Miyamoto wishes to speak to you."

"Send her in," I said, wondering what it was about. Miyamoto stepped into my office. Ten years it had been since she had first entered Team Rocket. Yet her body language seemed to be that of the sixteen-year-old rather than the experienced twenty-six year old.

"What can I do for you?" I asked with about as much friendliness I ever gave to my agents. She stood before me and clasped her hands in front of her, a sign I had learnt meant she was nervous.

"Well," she began. "I wasn't expecting it myself, and I certainly didn't set out to do it. It's just happened." She paused and looked at me.

"Go on," I said.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out. I realised she must have been able to see the surprise on my face for she seemed to almost smile.

"I was not aware that you were currently in a relationship with anyone," I said. I knew that she had had past boyfriends during her time here, but the last of them had been well over a year ago. She blushed, her cheeks and ears going a rosy red.

"I wasn't. Well, not a proper one. I had a kind of on-off thing with this guy, but he disappeared off before I realised I was pregnant."

"I see," I said, though I didn't really. I never thought Miya was one for flings. When it came to my agents, I didn't really care what happened in their personal lives as long as it didn't interfere with their work. That had been the one main disadvantage to partnering men with women. Occasionally they fell in love, and wanted to get married. That was fine until the woman got pregnant. I did my best to discourage it by ensuring horror stories about termination and experiments were spread around, for it was a pain in the arse when it happened. It seemed to work, for the rate was fairly low. Miya was the first for several years.

"Well, congratulations then," I said to her. She smiled, obviously relieved that I hadn't reacted angrily.

"Thank you," she said. "What am I going to have to do now?"

"How do you mean?"

"I can't go on any more missions for the time being," she said. I realised she was right, and sighed in annoyance. I would have to take her out of fieldwork for the best part of a year.

"You can split your time between instructing trainees and researching," I said. "Those seem to be your next best areas."

"I suppose. Is that immediately? What about Cal?" she asked.

"Immediately, Miya. And Cal has done many missions by himself, hasn't he?"

"Of course, ma'am." Miyamoto said apologetically.

"So, when is it due?" I asked, more so I could tell when to put her back out on missions than anything else.

"About the end of November," she replied. I nodded.

"Have the weekend off, then report to the laboratories on Monday morning," I said. "You may go."

"Thank you," she said, surprised, and turned to leave.

"Your wages shall be docked this month," I said. She gave me a rueful look and left. I wasn't going to let her go completely unpunished regardless of whether she was my best agent or not.

"I presume Miya has told you her news?" I asked Giovanni that evening as we sat down to dinner.

"Yes. I saw her a couple of days ago," he replied a little unenthusiastically.

"Aren't you happy for her? I thought she was your friend?"

"I am happy. It's just unexpected, that's all. And I'm tired. Celadon City is a long drive," he said. Though he had learnt to drive a couple of years ago, I had bought him a car for his last birthday. He hardly stopped using it, his latest excuse being to pay Minty a visit on my behalf. I hadn't seen her myself for a while, being too busy as usual. Yet I looked at him suspiciously. Maybe he liked Miyamoto more than I thought, and was a little disappointed she'd gone off with someone else. I suppose I wasn't surprised. He'd known her all through his teenage years, and spent a lot of time with her especially when he was younger.

"Of course," I said. "How's Minty, anyway?"

"She's fine. I think she's upset that you haven't kept in contact much recently. And she said she hasn't been bothered by Kyle any more."

"That's good," I answered. "Maybe someone killed the fool."

"Who cares?" Giovanni shrugged. I smiled darkly to myself. I certainly didn't.


	6. Part Six

**Part Six**

Miyamoto seemed to be pregnant for an eternity. Though the year itself went by fast, she never seemed to get any closer to having her child. Maybe I was just impatient to get her back out on missions. Though Xan, Cal and other members of the Elite team were all excellent, none of them filled the void she left. She seemed to enjoy teaching new recruits, and even when she was heavily pregnant she'd have them all up early in the morning mists practising various techniques. Then again, she didn't wake up half the time with a blinding headache or feeling sick. She'd probably have an easy time giving birth too, I'd put money on it. That was the news I was waiting for at the moment. The advantage of agents having children was that they were essentially born into Team Rocket. The two previous children that I could recall were now entering their teens, and were fiercely loyal. But I wasn't about to use that as a way of getting loyalty. The thought of hundreds of small children running about screaming made my skin crawl. Ugh. The odd one or two could at least be ignored. My secretary came into my office, trying to control the beaming smile on her face.

"Ma'am, Miya's had her baby."

"Name? Boy or girl?" I prompted.

"A girl. Jessica, I think."

"Did you speak to Miya herself?"

"No, Dahlia. She went with Miya, seeing as Cal is away. Apparently it was okay, and was over in about an hour and a half. They're both fine, and will probably be back tomorrow."

"Thank you, Alison," I said. I had been right. Three days later after the initial rush of people had died down, I went to see Miya and her baby.

"I'm sorry for the mess," Miyamoto apologised. "I haven't really had time to tidy up much." She looked exhausted. I remembered the feeling well.

"May I see her?" I asked. Miya nodded, and led me into another room.

"She's only just gone to sleep," she said quietly as we peered into the cot. Carefully tucked up in blankets was the tiny baby girl. I could see that she bore a likeness to her mother. Such innocence, yet it wouldn't last, especially in this environment. Miya smiled and gently touched the sleeping baby, then looked at me.

"She may look cute, but she's quite demanding. Keeps me awake half the night," she said, though her voice was full of pride.

"Giovanni was not too bad," I recalled. And I had Eric to help. Miya had people like Cal during the day, but no one at night.

"I suppose it doesn't seem very long since he was a baby," she said.

"He still is in some ways," I replied shortly.

"Well men never seem to grow up do they?" she said with a laugh. I allowed myself a small smile.

"I wish to see you back at work in three weeks, Miyamoto," I said. "I need you back out in the field as soon as possible."

"That soon?" she replied, surprised. "I was hoping to have a little longer with her."

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Six months?" she said. I gave her a look. She was undaunted. "Please ma'am, I wouldn't want to leave Jessie for a period of time when she is only three weeks old. I don't mind going back to doing the research or the teaching after three weeks because I'd be near her. Besides, it's almost winter and the success rate of missions is always lower then." Her blue-green eyes were wide as she looked at me. The thought of being separated from her daughter so soon clearly distressed her. I must admit, I hated leaving Giovanni with someone else when I first went back to work, and I was only on the other side of the headquarters.

"Very well," I said. "Two months."

"Four?" she asked. I sighed.

"Four then. But you are to return to your other work in three weeks."

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much," she beamed.

"I must go now," I said, giving the baby a last look. She nodded, and went to show me out.

* * *

Giovanni had been finally established as the Viridian gym leader at around the same time Miya became pregnant. Trainers were almost queuing up to battle for their Earth badge. Finally all that trouble years ago at the Pokemon Tech and the training by Xan and Miyamoto seemed worth it, for he won all six opening battles. And if I needed him for something else, it was easy to send someone else to sit in his place for a few days. Sometimes it was Xan, sometimes Miyamoto, sometimes another capable person. My own Pokemon battling days were long gone, the Pokemon I had owned when I was younger all dead now. I still had a couple as pets - a Ninetails and a Persian that had evolved from a Meowth Giovanni had found injured by the roadside one day. He loved feline Pokemon, and as a child would often beg me to let him have one. I preferred canine-like Pokemon, but when the Persian evolved it caught my eye and I insisted it stay with me rather than going with Giovanni to Viridian City. They were my companions now, and would sleep in my bedroom on the floor. The Persian got a little on the tubby side. At first I couldn't understand why, for it often disappeared off for a roam. Then I came home one evening to find the Persian curled up in the broom cupboard, with four little kittens huddled against her. When they were old enough, I gave one to Minty, one to Giovanni, one to my secretary and the final one to Trey, who had asked for one. 

Speaking of growing youngsters, Miyamoto's daughter Jessie was growing fast. Miya would leave her with some couple outside of Team Rocket when she went on missions. I did not see a lot of her, but when she was three and a half, I began to grow suspicious as to the identity of her father. Two or three times over the past few months I had seen Stefan hanging round Miyamoto when he had passed by. He seemed keen to see Jessie, but Miya seemed to have other ideas. The last time she had grown angry at him, gesturing at him to go away. At first I was going to have someone spy on them, but then decided I would look into the matter myself. I went down to the labs one day when everyone had gone home. Locked away were blood samples from every single member of Team Rocket and any other relevant people. I found the vial that contained Jessie's blood, and then found Stefan's. It had been a long time since I had performed any DNA tests, but I did not want help. Eventually I got the results. I frowned. I took another sample and painstakingly redid the test. I looked at the results of the second test, refusing to believe my eyes even though it confirmed what I had known when I saw the results of the first one.

Giovanni was Jessie's father.

I honestly did not know what to think. How on earth could that have escaped me? Admittedly, I did not have Miyamoto watched by Oliver's team of spies. Still, I should have picked up on it myself. How long had they been together? They couldn't still be, I knew that for certain. I had worked out that he had feelings for her, but never dreamt that he'd act on them, I didn't think they were that strong. If I had known, I would have had Miyamoto posted abroad for a long time. If she had been from outside of Team Rocket, I would have happily let them be together, for I liked Miyamoto. She was good for Giovanni in the same way that Eric had been good for me. I could never allow my top agent and my son to have a relationship though, for that would put the wrong message out to everyone else. The higher members of Team Rocket had to set an example. Giovanni and Miyamoto would have known that. They'd done well to keep their relationship from me, never mind the fact that they had had a child together.

Was I so terrible my own son could not tell me such matters?

Then I grew angry. Cal, Xan and perhaps Dahlia, Xan's partner, would have also known about the relationship, and therefore the identity of Jessie's father. Some of the people I most trusted had lied to me. And after all the concessions I had let Miyamoto have. My first thought was to have them all hauled in. Then for some reason I paused. It wouldn't change anything; Jessie would still be Giovanni's child. No, I would sit this out. Let them think they still had the wool pulled over my eyes. However, none of my elite agents would ever go unwatched again.

The next time I saw Jessie, I looked at her carefully as she clung to her mother's hand. She still looked like a little red-haired version of Miya, one of the reasons I had not suspected anything. The red hair must have come from Miya's family. However, now I looked closely, I recognised the brilliant blue of the child's eyes. Eric's eyes. He would have liked grandchildren, and would have been just as good as grandfather as he had been a father. Maybe if he were still alive, Giovanni would have been open about things. Yet that was just another unknown.

* * *

"I have a report for you, ma'am." 

"I'm listening," I said, though I wasn't really. It had been a tough six months. Results were down in all areas, and the amount of paperwork on my desk depressed me. A tape recorder was placed on my desk in what little space remained.

"I've got this recording made in the South American jungles at the base of the Andes. I think what is on it will interest you," said Miyamoto. I looked at her as she proceeded to play the tape. It had been eighteen months since I found out about the affair between her and my son. Neither were aware that I knew. I listened to the tape half-heartedly. Though I still had faith in her skills, I couldn't give her my full attention. After about two minutes of jungle noises, I grew tired and switched it off.

"What am I supposed to be listening to here?" I asked.

"Please keep listening. It's not much further," she replied, switching the tape back on. After another minute or so, there was a strange sound, like a baby Meowth. Miya switched the tape off.

"That was a Mew," she announced. I narrowed my eyes.

"Mew is just a legend, isn't it?" I said.

"Supposedly, yes, but here on this tape is proof that it is real. It's a very rare Pokemon. The legends say it possesses amazing psychic powers…"

"Yes, I know all about it," I interrupted. Eric, with his interest in psychic Pokemon had read widely round the legend of Mew and had often spoken to me about it. Such a rare Pokemon would be priceless. And if I controlled it… I liked the idea.

"You and Cal shall go to South America and bring back a Mew," I ordered. Miya looked slightly taken aback.

"But ma'am that could take months. Most stories say Mew lives amongst the mountains. The Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world. I could never search it all."

"You have a starting point, do you not? The place where the recording was made?"

"Yes, ma'am, but I don't want to leave Jessie for months. I've not been back long from my last mission."

"Miyamoto, you are my best agent. I assume that by bringing me the evidence of Mew being real you were prepared for me sending you out to find one. And I would not be sending you all the way to South America if I did not feel you could find one. You work for me, you are therefore committed to serving Team Rocket despite any personal items in your life. Is that not what it stated in the contract you signed? Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Children are expensive, Miya, are they not? My brat of a boy has cost me a fortune. Bring back a Mew and you'll be able to send your daughter to the best schools and give her the best possible life money can buy."

"I understand, ma'am. I'm sorry."

"Off you go then. I expect you to make the necessary arrangements immediately and for you and Cal to give me your plan of action first thing tomorrow morning. I will be expecting regular progress reports," I said.

"Yes ma'am." She hesitated in front of my desk looking unusually troubled, perhaps because I had completely dismissed her plea not to be assigned the mission.

"Is there something else, Miya?" I asked, not in the mood for further excuses. I noticed that she had clasped her hands.

"Would it make a difference…" she began, but then stopped. Her hands unclasped and went to her sides. When she spoke again, she seemed more controlled.

"There's nothing else, ma'am. I will go and find Cal now," she said. I watched her leave my office, holding her head high, but her shoulders showed she was dejected. I returned to my work, trying to make sense of the figures in front of me.

* * *

About three months later and Miyamoto and Cal still had not located a Mew. I was patient only because I knew the power the legendary Pokemon could give me. I had received a progress report from Miya. She believed they were close to finding Mew, and they were preparing to go up a mountain some local people had said Mew lived. Two days later, I received news from the agent shadowing them that there had been a huge avalanche, and that Cal and Miyamoto were both missing. Six weeks later and neither had been found, dead or alive.

I decided to declare them both dead.

If they had been alive, I was sure Miya would have got them to a shelter of some kind then called for help. The news had sent shockwaves through Team Rocket. Some people that had been close to them were devastated, such as Xan. The memorial service was packed out, and you couldn't move for flowers. The deaths of two of my best agents were upsetting to me too. In another life, Miya and I could have been friends. Even though both she and Cal had deceived me, they didn't deserve to die.

Instead, I took my revenge for her deception out on Miyamoto's daughter, Jessie. The people who looked after Jessie when Miya was away were informed of her death. They would now take care of her permanently as per Miya's wishes should anything happen to her. Before I had informed Giovanni, I made sure every single trace of Jessie and her whereabouts was erased. It would be on Miya's record that she had a daughter, but that would be all. I did not wish for her to be brought up in my sight. I never once thought of Jessie as my granddaughter. As far as I was concerned, she was just a thing that reminded me of the duplicity shown towards me by her parents, an insult to me. So I was not surprised when Giovanni showed up, partly to see Xan, partly to see me.

"Mum, what's happened to Miya's daughter?" he asked innocently enough. I was writing something, so stopped and looked at him.

"Your daughter is with whoever Miyamoto sends her to when she goes away," I replied matter-of-factly. The colour drained from his face.

"You knew?" he said, clearly not believing his ears. "How?"

"Everything gets back to me eventually," I replied, simply. I started writing again.

"You know where she is, don't you?"

"You are her father. Surely you know yourself?"

"Miya never told me." he replied.

"Well then, that is your burden," I said. "Perhaps you should have been honest with me in the first place."

"Tell me where Jessie is," Giovanni demanded, bringing a fist down onto my desk. I stopped writing again, and glared at him.

"I will hear no more on the matter. That child does not exist as far as I am concerned. Isn't that what you wanted me to believe, that she was of no relation to me at all?"

"All the more reason to tell me where she is," Giovanni snapped, leaning on the desk. Whatever had happened between himself and Miyamoto, the guilt of it was clear on his face, and in his voice. For the first time I saw a troubled man rather than an angry boy. Well, he had dug this hole, and he could face the consequences.

"I forbid you to look for her. Now, if you've quite finished, I have work to do."

"You killed Miya," he shouted at me, waving a finger inches from my face. "You didn't intend for her to come back. Why else would you send her after a Pokemon that doesn't exist?"

"It exists, Giovanni. When you are feeling more civilised, I will show you."

"I don't care. Miya's gone and it's all your fault."

"Don't blame me for your own problems. Miyamoto knew the risks of being in Team Rocket, and accepted them. We all have to accept them, else there is no point in being here. And since you are in an unreasonable mood, I see little point in you being here." I picked up my pen again. Giovanni glared at me. I stared straight back at him. This time he lost the staring contest for he turned round and stormed out of my office, slamming the door behind him. I returned to my work. I did not expect forgiveness for my actions, and he had done nothing to apologise for his. As far as I was concerned another chapter had been closed in my life, even if it was not that way for my son. Whilst I remained in charge of Team Rocket, he would continue to follow my wishes as would the rest of my employees. Despite the recent tragedy, my quest to possess the powers of a Mew was still alive and well. It would happen one day, for I always get what I want in the end. I would not be here in charge of what had become a very powerful organisation if I had not got my way. Nothing is an obstacle for me. I've had my pitfalls, but I always pick myself up and carry on. Life goes on, and Team Rocket is my life. Let them all continue to be wary of me with good reason. Madam Boss will not go away quietly, not if I have anything to do with it.

**The End**

* * *

_Author's Note: Enjoy this story? Want to know what happened between Giovanni and Miyamoto? Then read the companion story "Born to Rule the World". _


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